Girl in Scarf 1916

Eugeniusz Zak made this drawing of a girl in a scarf at an unknown date, with what looks like graphite and watercolor on paper. The surface is really interesting, you can see how the materials have been applied in layers, creating a kind of texture, a visual depth. Looking closely, the drawing marks feel like they've been put down in a very intuitive way. See how the soft gradations in the scarf are built up using countless tiny, overlapping marks, like whispers? It's almost pointillist, but softer, more atmospheric. The color palette, too, is quite muted, mostly grays, browns, and blues, which adds to the feeling of quiet contemplation. I'm also reminded of Paula Modersohn-Becker, in the way Zak captures the inner life of his subjects, the way he uses simple forms and muted colors to create a sense of intimacy and vulnerability. Ultimately, it’s about feeling rather than seeing, and the girl's gaze has that in spades!