[no title] 1954

Editor: This sketch, an untitled work by Oskar Kokoschka, seems to be a cityscape rendered in colored pencil. It has a dreamlike, almost ephemeral quality. What strikes you most about its composition? Curator: The immediacy of the colored pencil reveals the artist’s hand and labor. Notice the repetitive, almost frenzied application of pigment. What kind of pressure was required, and where, to get those varying tones? The choice of this readily available material flattens the hierarchy between fine art and the everyday drawing. It gives insight into the means of artistic production and its accessibility. Editor: So, the very act of sketching with colored pencils becomes a statement in itself? Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to consider how Kokoschka's selection of materials challenges traditional notions of artistic value and the consumption of art itself. Editor: That is fascinating. I'll certainly view colored pencil works differently from now on!