Sokrates 1915 - 1916

This is a drawing of Sokrates by J.A. Jerichau II, made at an unknown date with graphite on paper. Look at how Jerichau builds up the form of Sokrates' head, layer upon layer, line after line. It’s like he’s feeling his way around the contours, not just drawing what he sees, but thinking through the form, bit by bit. The materiality here is simple, just pencil on paper, but the effect is profound. The lines are scratchy and tentative, and there’s a real sense of the artist’s hand at work. In the beard, you can see how the artist uses a darker, denser line to suggest depth and shadow, while elsewhere, the lines are lighter and more sparse, almost like a whisper. It reminds me a bit of some of Guston’s late drawings, where he’s grappling with form and meaning in a similarly direct way. Both artists share a willingness to leave the marks visible, to embrace the process, and to invite us into their way of seeing. It’s like they’re saying, “Here’s how I’m trying to figure this out, join me.”