Kvindelig model, liggende på siden, rygvendt 1887 - 1940

Charles Alexandre Malfray made this drawing, Kvindelig model, liggende på siden, rygvendt, using delicate graphite lines to capture the contours of a reclining figure. I can imagine Malfray, charcoal in hand, circling and hovering, trying to get the figure down on paper. I feel like this drawing is about searching for that perfect balance, an equilibrium between the known and the unknown. It’s like he’s asking, how do you capture the weight and softness of the human form with just a few lines? Look how the lines thicken and fade, suggesting depth and shadow. See the way the line seems to almost caress the body, lingering on a curve, then darting away. It reminds me of Matisse and his line drawings. It is like one continuous line, constantly looping back on itself. Artists are always responding to each other, picking up where others leave off, pushing and pulling at the boundaries of what’s possible. And that’s why we keep looking, keep questioning, keep drawing.