Two Women c. 1930s

Leon Kroll made this drawing, "Two Women", on a board using graphite. You can tell it's graphite because it has that soft, powdery look, like a whisper of grey. Kroll uses these smudgy lines to build the forms of the women, almost like he’s sculpting with shadows. Look at the way he suggests the curve of the reclining woman's hip, or the folds of the other woman's robe, with just a few carefully placed strokes. It’s a drawing about touch, about feeling the weight and volume of the bodies, not just seeing them. The process feels so intimate. The one mark that gets me is the small signature; it’s like Kroll's saying, ‘Yes, I was here, feeling my way through this scene with my hand.’ You know, it reminds me a little of Degas, who also loved drawing women in these casual, intimate poses. It’s like a conversation across time, these artists trying to capture the fleeting beauty of everyday life.