Opstilling 1916 - 1920

Harald Giersing made this still life drawing, Opstilling, with graphite on paper. The marks are tentative, searching, like he’s feeling around for the forms, not quite sure what they are. It’s a process of discovery right before our eyes. The drawing is all about texture, from the rough strokes that describe the forms of the onions to the smooth, rounded shapes of the bowl. Notice how Giersing uses the graphite to create a sense of depth and shadow. See the way the lines build up to suggest the roundness of the bowl? It reminds me a bit of Cezanne’s sketches, where he’s also trying to capture the essence of an object through repeated, broken lines. But Giersing has his own voice, a more raw, almost frantic energy. It’s like he’s trying to capture the fleeting moment before it disappears. And isn’t that what art is all about, trying to hold onto something that’s always slipping away?