Head of a Woman (en Face) 1907

Anders Zorn drew this portrait, Head of a Woman, in pencil, and it now lives at The Art Institute of Chicago. The artist's marks and lines dance across the page, and he hasn’t rubbed them out, so it feels like we are seeing this work in progress. If you look closely at the area around her face, you can see the quick, light touches of the pencil, almost like he’s feeling his way around her features. The lines around her eyes and mouth are a little darker, giving her expression a real sense of depth. And the way he's suggested the folds of her dress and veil, it feels like a fleeting glimpse, capturing a moment in time. You know who else loved this kind of quick, sketch-like feel? Degas. Both artists had a talent for capturing the essence of their subjects with just a few strokes. Art's like a big conversation, right? Artists riffing off each other, sharing ideas across time. There’s no right answer, just different ways of seeing.