Girl With Blue Eyes 1996

Tia Peltz made this drawing called 'Girl With Blue Eyes' with sweeping, looping lines that feel both casual and considered. I wonder, was Tia thinking about Matisse when she made this, or maybe Picasso? I imagine her looking at the blank paper and just letting the pen glide, finding the form of the girl through a kind of dance. The lines are so delicate, but they capture the essence of her subject. I'm drawn to the way Peltz uses line to suggest the girl's features - a subtle curve for the nose, a few quick strokes for the hair. It’s as if she’s trying to capture the fleeting nature of youth and beauty. It reminds me that artists are always in conversation with each other, borrowing and building on ideas across time. There is a simplicity to this piece, a sense of openness that allows us to bring our own interpretations to it, seeing something different each time we look.