Writing lady 1916

Gustav Schraegle made this sketch of a woman writing with green ink. It seems like he was working quickly, trying to get the image down before it disappeared. I can imagine him, in front of his subject, trying to capture the essence of her being. He must have been looking intently, his hand moving rapidly, trying to catch up with his eye. What was she writing? Is it a love letter, a note to the milkman, or just a doodle? The delicate lines of the sketch have a fragile quality as though the whole scene could disappear at any moment. The flowers on the table feel like a fleeting moment of beauty caught in time. It reminds me of the sketches of other artists, like Manet or Degas, who also captured everyday moments with such immediacy. Artists are always in conversation with each other. Each of us trying to find new ways of seeing and feeling the world.