Portrait of Don Windham 1941

Paul Cadmus made this drawing of Don Windham, probably in 1941, using ink on paper. There's something so immediate about seeing ink on paper, right? You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the surface. The lines here are so deliberate, creating both form and shadow. Look at the way Cadmus uses hatching to define Windham's cheekbones and the curve of his hair. It’s a real showcase of how marks build into something bigger. The texture is all in the lines, varying in density to suggest light and volume. There's a real sense of the artist's touch. Notice the lightness of touch around the eyes, and how the gaze is focused off into the distance. For me, it brings a kind of dreaminess to the work. It reminds me a little of some of Hockney's portrait drawings, though Cadmus has a more classical feel. What do you think? Whatever it brings to mind, it's a beautiful example of how art lets us see the world, and each other, in new ways.