Reclining model 1923

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this drawing of a reclining model with graphite on paper. It’s all about seeing the body as a landscape, an assemblage of forms. I love how Konchalovsky uses these scribbly marks to build up the figure. There’s a kind of searching, a real sense of the hand moving across the page, trying to capture something fleeting. Look at the way he renders the drapery behind the figure – these dark, almost frantic lines create a sense of depth and shadow. And then, the delicate, almost hesitant strokes that define her face, the way the light catches her cheekbone. It’s as if he’s trying to find her, to understand her, through the act of drawing. For me, this piece speaks to the power of drawing as a process of discovery. It reminds me a little of Matisse's line drawings, where he's just trying to capture the essence of a form with as few lines as possible, just getting the right information down. Both artists remind us that art is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time.