Zwei Mädchen Am Waldrand 1924

Otto Mueller made this drawing, Zwei Mädchen Am Waldrand, or Two Girls at the Edge of the Forest, with pastel on paper. It's all about how lines meet, and the colours are like whispers. The paper has a rough feel, and the pastels seem dry, almost chalky. Look at how the colours don’t quite fill in the shapes. It's like Mueller is letting us peek behind the curtain, showing us the bones of the picture. The girls themselves, they’re not really there, just outlines, but they feel like they are. The blue streaks that suggest a sky or water are so fast. They give everything a dreamy vibe. Mueller’s work reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker. They both knew how to make simple marks that spoke volumes. Art's like that, right? It's never just one thing. It's a conversation.