Bedri Tahiri 2015

Gazmend Freitag made this pencil drawing of Bedri Tahiri sometime around 2015. The first thing that strikes me is the stark simplicity – just a pencil, some paper, and a whole lot of looking. Freitag's mark-making is direct, almost like he's trying to capture not just what Tahiri looks like, but who he is. The lines are confident but not rigid; they’ve got this lovely, almost tentative quality. Look closely at the eyes – there's a real intensity there, a depth that comes not just from the shading but from the way the lines converge and suggest the weight of a gaze. The texture is interesting too, the way the graphite catches the light, creating a subtle shimmer across the surface. It’s a reminder that this isn’t just a representation, but a physical object, born from a process. I’m reminded of Lucian Freud’s portraits, in the sense of their unvarnished, immediate quality. Both artists seem to be interested in depicting character, rather than idealised beauty. Art is a conversation, right?