Girl Seated 1922

Istvan Szönyi made this drawing, *Girl Seated*, with ink on paper. It's a wash drawing really, where the image appears out of the depths of the wash. Imagine Szönyi hunched over this work, his brush dancing on the page, coaxing the girl’s form out of the ether. The ink pools and bleeds, creating soft, blurry edges that give the figure a sense of transience. See how her head hangs heavy, her gaze directed downwards, lost in thought? You know, I bet Szönyi was thinking about the old masters when he made this. He’s playing with light and shadow like Rembrandt, but in this really immediate way. The strokes are fast, almost nervous, but so full of feeling. It reminds me that all artists, even the old masters, are in conversation with each other, borrowing ideas and techniques across time. It’s kind of beautiful, don’t you think?