Hoofd van een farao c. 1890 - 1922

Johanna van de Kamer made this head of a pharaoh, probably with graphite, and it feels like a study. I love the way the lines are so tentative, like the artist is feeling their way around the form. Look at the textures created just with line, how the wings of the headdress are built up with these regular, almost architectural marks, versus the more organic curves that define the face and headdress. There’s a real physicality to the drawing, a sense of the artist’s hand moving across the page. Notice the rainbow shapes around the neck. For me this drawing has a similar quality to some of Agnes Martin's grid paintings, in the way that a simple set of marks can create a feeling of serenity and contemplation. Art is like a game of telephone across time, isn't it? A constant conversation. This piece shows it's okay for art to be ambiguous, like a question rather than an answer.