Curt Valentin 1946

André Masson made this portrait of Curt Valentin in charcoal, using sweeping lines and shadowy smudges. It looks like Masson really worked the charcoal into the paper, almost like he was wrestling with the image to pull it out of the void. You can almost feel him figuring it out as he goes. I’m especially drawn to the area around the eye. It's rendered with this frantic energy, a flurry of marks that seem to suggest not just sight, but insight – a glimpse into Valentin’s inner world. The charcoal is really built up here, thick and dark, contrasting with the lighter, more skeletal lines that define the rest of the face. There's a tension between the ephemeral quality of the medium and the attempt to capture something solid and lasting about this person. This reminds me a bit of Picasso's portraits, where he's not just depicting a likeness, but also trying to get at the essence of the person. It's like Masson is saying that identity is fluid and ever-changing, but at the same time, there are essential aspects that remain constant.