Portrait of Maria van Rysselberghe 1919

This is "Portrait of Maria van Rysselberghe" by Theo van Rysselberghe, made using what looks like charcoal or maybe crayon on paper. You can almost feel the artist working, building up the image with these tiny, energetic strokes. It’s all about process. Look at how the marks create a sense of form and volume. It’s not just about outlining, it’s about hatching and layering to suggest light and shadow, weight and texture. The lines on the subject's jacket, see how they curve and follow the shape of her body, giving it that three-dimensional feel? Or the way the shading around her eyes makes them look so deep and thoughtful. You can imagine Van Rysselberghe really thinking about her, trying to capture something essential about who she was. This drawing reminds me of the work of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who used drawing to capture the human condition with such empathy and intensity. And that's what art is all about, isn't it? An ongoing conversation, where each artist adds their own voice and vision to the mix.