Siddende kvindelig model 1907

Harald Giersing made this charcoal drawing of a seated female model sometime in the early 20th Century. You can almost feel the artist circling the model with his gaze, then capturing her pose with a few, energetic lines. I wonder what it was like to be Giersing, wrestling with the complexities of form and expression! What was he trying to capture? A likeness? A feeling? The essence of the model’s being? The lines feel tentative yet bold, searching for the right balance between representation and abstraction. Look at that expressive line that defines her arm and shoulder. It’s a single, unbroken stroke that conveys so much about the weight and volume of her body. It reminds me of Picasso or Matisse, those guys were always pushing the boundaries of figuration! The interplay between light and shadow creates a sense of depth and volume, while the starkness of the charcoal adds a raw, almost primal energy to the work. Like a conversation across time, each artist inspires and challenges the others. Painting is a way of thinking, of feeling, of being in the world.