Portræt af en sort kvinde (Miarka) 1914

Othon Friesz made this portrait of Miarka with a confident hand. Look at how the marks are laid down, each one a quick decision, building up the form through repetition and variation. It's like a dance, a process of call and response between the artist and the paper. The texture is all in the lines, the weight of the charcoal creating depth and shadow. See how Friesz uses hatching to sculpt the face, those tiny parallel lines that create volume and dimension? It’s almost sculptural, like he's carving the image out of the blank page. There’s a real energy in the way the charcoal moves across the paper, especially around the eyes, which are alive with expression. It reminds me of the directness and honesty of Kathe Kollwitz’s drawings, both artists sharing a similar interest in capturing the human form with a raw, expressive quality. Ultimately, this portrait invites us to appreciate the beauty in simplicity and the power of suggestion, leaving space for our own interpretations and feelings.