Bandontwerp voor: N.S. Ljeskow, De onsterfelijke, 1965 before 1965

Karel Thole made this cover design for N.S. Ljeskow’s novel, "The Immortal" in 1965 using graphite and collage. The rough mark-making here is beautiful; it feels immediate, like a study, as if Thole is thinking through the image as he makes it. I love the way Thole builds up the form of the figure through layers of hatching, those angled lines feel almost architectural in their density. The limited palette of greys and blacks gives the image a moody, somber feel, which is perfect for a novel about immortality. It’s like he is building form through the physical act of drawing. The little touches of collage – that square of yellow, the strips down the left – they make me think of Kurt Schwitters, another artist who understood how to make poetry from everyday materials. The way Thole embraces the process, shows his working, that’s what makes this piece so compelling.