Ritratto di Papini 1913

Carlo Carra drew this portrait of Papini, probably in ink, sometime around 1915. The lines are so alive, like the drawing is breathing! It's all about the process here. Carra's not trying to hide the evidence of his hand. The lines are scratchy and uneven, full of starts and stops. There's this great energy in the way the ink seems to dance across the paper, especially around the hair. Look at that furious scribbling! The texture isn't just visual, it's almost tactile. You can practically feel the speed and intensity of Carra's hand. It makes me think of Cy Twombly’s drawings, where the messiness becomes the point. Ultimately, it's this openness to chance, this willingness to let the materials lead, that makes the drawing so compelling. Art isn't about perfection, it's about exploration.