Ursula Pfeiffer 2014

Gazmend Freitag’s pencil drawing, Ursula Pfeiffer, feels like a delicate conversation between the artist, the subject, and the paper itself. The approach to mark-making here is really interesting because it captures something essential about portraiture as a process of discovery. Look at the way the lines build up around Ursula's eyes and mouth—they’re not just describing form, they’re searching for something, a spark of personality maybe. Freitag’s layering of graphite gives a soft, almost hazy quality to the skin, contrasting with the sharper, more defined lines of the hair. I love how the shading under the chin creates a sense of depth, but it’s also kind of mysterious. What is concealed in the shadow? This reminds me of some of Lucian Freud’s drawings, where the intensity of looking becomes almost sculptural. Freitag, like Freud, seems to be asking: what does it mean to really see someone? It’s not just about accuracy, it’s about empathy, interpretation, and the endless possibilities of line and tone.