Gina c. 1948

Isabel Bishop made this drawing, Gina, using chalk and graphite on paper. It's all about the process, isn't it? You can see the artist feeling her way around the forms with these tentative, searching lines. It reminds me of my own process of layering and building up marks. The paper is a warm grey which Bishop uses as a kind of middle tone. Then she adds darker strokes of graphite to define Gina's features, and highlights with white chalk. Look at the way she's captured the light on the side of Gina’s face and in her hair. The lines are soft and smudgy, giving the drawing a dreamlike quality. Bishop’s touch is so delicate, the drawing could almost disappear. Bishop was part of the 14th Street School, a group of artists who found beauty in everyday life. I’m thinking of Degas, who also captured intimate moments with similar sensitivity, suggesting that art is really just an ongoing conversation across time. Bishop leaves room for interpretation, embracing ambiguity.