Studieblad met bovenarm, schouder en torso 1915

This pencil drawing of an upper arm, shoulder and torso is by Jan Toorop. I can imagine Toorop, working in a studio, or maybe outside, rapidly sketching, trying to capture the subtleties of human anatomy. It’s a glimpse into the artist’s mind, a site of inquiry. The lines are quite tentative aren’t they? With some areas more defined than others. The shading gives form and weight to the body, but it's the lines that really speak to me. I love the way that the upper part of the body looks almost bird-like. Toorop is playing with our perceptions, pushing the boundaries between representation and abstraction. The texture of the paper is visible and becomes part of the drawing, reminding us of the physicality of the medium. It reminds me of some of the quick sketches made by Rodin, but with a delicacy and subtlety of its own. These artists are in conversation, across time, inspiring each other's creativity. It's an embodied form of expression, where ambiguity is embraced, and fixed readings are resisted.