Bison at the Zagreb Zoo 1945

Alfred Krupa made this drawing of a bison at the Zagreb Zoo using a very dark pencil or crayon. Look at the scribbly marks that give the bison its hairy texture. What a strange thing to find in a zoo, but there you go! I can imagine Krupa quickly sketching, trying to capture the animal's mass and energy. See how the lines around the bison are loose and gestural, almost like the animal is vibrating or about to move. There's something very immediate about it. I feel like the best drawings of animals capture their essence, not just their appearance. Like you're somehow grasping the 'thingness' of the being. And that dark line enclosing the form, it’s almost like he’s saying, “This is what it feels like to look at this animal." In a way, all drawings are a conversation between the artist, the subject, and us, the viewers.