Sitzender weiblicher Akt, der Kopf dem angezogenen rechten Knie zugeneigt c. 1924

Georg Kolbe made this ink drawing of a seated nude, sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. I love the economy of the mark-making here. It's all about gesture, like a dance of the hand across the paper. The color palette is subdued, almost monochromatic, but within that limitation, Kolbe finds a surprising range of tones. The ink washes create a sense of depth and volume, while the dry lines scratch the surface, reminding us of the materiality of the drawing. The way the head bows toward the knee, it's like the whole figure is folding in on itself. There's a real vulnerability in that gesture. It reminds me of some of Rodin’s drawings, where the human body is rendered with such raw emotion and sensitivity. But Kolbe has his own voice, his own way of seeing. The piece really embraces the ambiguity of the human form. It suggests many possibilities, rather than fixing on one interpretation.