Staand mannelijk naakt in het water, op de rug gezien 1878 - 1938

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst made this drawing of a standing male nude in the water, seen from the back, with graphite. You can see the lines of the grid beneath the figure, like a ghost in the machine. This is someone working something out. The material presence of the graphite on paper creates a delicate tonal range, from the almost imperceptible to the deeply shaded areas of the back and legs. The water is described with economical horizontal lines, conveying both the surface and the sense of depth. Check out the way he’s holding that banana-like thing in his hand. The paper itself, with its rough edge, becomes part of the artwork's texture, enhancing the sense of immediacy. For me, this piece echoes some of Lucian Freud's early drawings, with their similar interest in the human form, and their emphasis on close observation and a direct, almost clinical approach. It’s a lovely example of how something both very ordinary and kind of classical can be made.