Papegaaien 1920

Julie de Graag made these parrot studies with a graphite pencil in 1920. I like to imagine her in front of a live model, trying to capture the form and the feeling of the bird. There’s something charming about how each parrot is slightly different, capturing different facets of the same subject—the way the light hits their feathers, the way they perch on the branch. This is a sketch, so it is more about the action of looking and drawing than about any finished idea. The three studies help us understand that the truth of something is never just one thing. I like the ways that artists can work with such simple means to create such a complex emotional and intellectual experience. Each mark, each line, is a decision that reflects the artist's intentions and the energy of the moment. It's like they're speaking to each other across time and space.