Siddende model 1914 - 1915

This quick sketch of a seated model, made by Karl Isakson at an unknown date, is like a visual poem. The marks are so sparse, almost hesitant, like the artist is feeling their way around the form. It's intriguing to see how much information can be conveyed with so little. A few lines define the curve of a back, the angle of a leg. The shading on the arm, it's like a whisper of tone. I can almost feel the paper beneath the pencil, that soft give and take. It is tempting to compare this work to Matisse, who also had a passion for conveying the essence of a subject. It makes me think about the act of seeing, and how much of what we perceive is actually constructed in our own minds. It is not about what's there, but about what is suggested, what is left unsaid.