The woman in front of a mirror 1921

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this drawing on paper called 'The woman in front of a mirror' using sweeping gestural marks with a dark pen or pencil. I can feel the artist in front of his model, quickly observing and trying to capture her essence. She is looking away, lost in thought, maybe daydreaming, and he’s trying to get it all down before the moment disappears. See the marks around her head? They're quick, like he's trying to catch her thoughts as they float around. I can relate to that urgency to capture something fleeting. The lines are scratchy and raw, not trying to be pretty, but just trying to get at something real. It’s like he’s thinking through the drawing, each line a new idea or a new way of seeing her. I love the way his process is visible in the final work. It reminds me of other artists like Picasso or Matisse, who were also exploring the possibilities of line and form in their drawings. It’s all one big conversation, isn’t it?