Study of a Prostitute (Etude de fille publique) c. 1927 - 1929

This is Andre Dunoyer de Segonzac's "Study of a Prostitute," made with ink, maybe even hastily, in the heat of the moment. I can imagine him with a sketchbook and a pen. The drawing has the urgency of an artist quickly trying to capture what he sees. The whole thing is hatched with short, scratchy marks, like he’s digging into the paper, trying to get at something beneath the surface. See how the lines around her face and neck are dense and dark, creating a sense of shadow and depth, while the lines in her hair are looser, almost chaotic? This is all about feeling, not just seeing. I can see the humanity in this woman, the kind of knowing weariness in her eyes. It reminds me of other artists like Paula Modersohn-Becker who looked unflinchingly at women’s lives. Artists are always looking, borrowing, responding. It’s a big, messy conversation. Each mark, each choice, is a question, a way of seeing the world anew.