Malvina 1929

Gerald Leslie Brockhurst etched this plate, Malvina, at an unknown date. The limited palette and hatched lines feel both modern and historical. The first thing I notice is Malvina’s gaze. It’s direct, engaging, yet also a bit melancholic. The artist uses a delicate balance of light and shadow to sculpt her face, giving her a quiet intensity. The marks around the hat brim have a loose quality to them, almost scribbled, which contrasts with the careful rendering of her features. This tension between precision and looseness gives the work its energy. And look at the way Brockhurst uses line to define the form of the hat. It’s like a map of the planes and curves, creating a sense of depth and volume with very few strokes. This attention to detail, combined with the overall simplicity of the composition, reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin. It’s funny, isn’t it? How a simple portrait can hold so much complexity and ambiguity.