Studieblad med javanske kvinder, f.o.t.v. profilhoved 1921

Svend Rathsack made this study sheet with depictions of Javanese women. Look at the delicacy of the lines, like whispers on paper. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving lightly, trying to capture the essence of each figure. I wonder what he was thinking as he drew them. Was he captivated by their grace, their stillness? The way he layers the figures, some complete, others just ghostly outlines. They are a reminder of the constant process of becoming that is central to painting: half-formed ideas, sketches, ghosts of gestures that have been lost or changed. Each mark feels like a thought, an impression, a fleeting moment. Like the start of a conversation.