Figurskitse. To siddende mænd: Aarsleff og P. Johansen 1906

Viggo Johansen made this ink sketch of two seated men, Aarsleff and P. Johansen, with what looks like a very fine nib. It’s all about capturing a quick impression, the essence of the moment. Look at the confident, looping lines that define the figures. It’s all so immediate. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the paper. The ink is brown; it spreads into the fibres of the paper, creating softer edges and pooling in places, giving depth to the otherwise sparse drawing. Take the face on the right, for example. The lines dance and hover, indicating the planes of the head with economical certainty. It reminds me a little of Matisse’s line drawings. There is a similar sense of capturing a likeness with minimal means, a kind of generosity, maybe even, in what it chooses to leave out. The beauty of a drawing like this is in its open endedness. It suggests more than it states. The viewer is invited to participate, to fill in the blanks. What are they thinking? What’s the story? Art isn’t about answers, is it? It’s about asking good questions.