Zwei Mädchenköpfe im Profil nach rechts 1903

Paula Modersohn-Becker made this drawing of two girls with charcoal, and you can see her hand at work in every mark. It's all about process, and the charcoal gives it a raw, immediate feel. The texture of the paper peeks through the charcoal, giving a sense of depth and dimension. The contrast between the light and dark areas is really striking, and the way the faces overlap creates a sense of intimacy and connection. Look at the way the charcoal is smudged and blended around the edges of the figures, softening the forms. It's like a whisper, barely there. Modersohn-Becker was really exploring the human form in her work, and this drawing is a great example of that. There's something almost sculptural about the way she's rendered the faces, and you can see the influence of artists like Rodin. But she also had a knack for capturing the inner life of her subjects, which reminds me of the unflinching intimacy of Alice Neel. It’s an ongoing conversation, full of questions rather than answers.