Drawing for ‘Woman Ill in Bed Surrounded by Family (Dürer)’ 1965

Curator: Leon Kossoff, born in 1926, created this drawing, “Drawing for ‘Woman Ill in Bed Surrounded by Family (Dürer)’”. It resides here at the Tate Collections. Editor: My first thought? Intense. The swirling ink creates a claustrophobic atmosphere around the woman in bed. Curator: Yes, it's intriguing how Kossoff engages with Dürer here. Note how the materials themselves, ink on paper, become a crucial part of conveying the emotional weight of the scene. Editor: Absolutely, the frantic mark-making is palpable, almost as if Kossoff is channeling the anxiety and sorrow into the very act of drawing. You can feel the urgency. Curator: He really pushes the boundaries of drawing as a reproductive medium. It’s not just about representation, it's about the labor, the process of grappling with Durer's imagery. Editor: It’s a raw, intimate kind of energy—it makes me want to look at the world more closely, with a little more… empathy, perhaps? Curator: I think that's a good takeaway. Kossoff’s work, especially this drawing, serves as a reminder that art is deeply embedded in social and emotional realities.