Czobel Béla 1957 Női Fej 1957

Bela Czobel made this head of a woman in 1957, likely with charcoal and maybe some ink washes. The marks are so expressive, like he’s wrestling with the essence of the subject. It's less about capturing a likeness and more about capturing an emotion, a mood. I really get a sense of the physicality of the materials here. Look at the dark, almost violent strokes defining the background. Then notice how it resolves into softer, blended areas, giving form to the woman's face. See those drips near the bottom? Those aren’t mistakes! They are traces of the artistic process, a reminder that this image came from somewhere. I am reminded of Käthe Kollwitz, both artists share an intensity of feeling and a commitment to exploring the human condition through expressive mark-making. Art is an ongoing conversation, isn’t it?