Sonia 

Walter Gramatté made this sensitive portrait of a woman named Sonia, using diluted brown ink on paper. The simplicity of the materials stands in contrast to the subtlety of the washes, which create a sense of depth and volume. Ink is of course an inexpensive medium, traditionally associated with writing and sketching. But here, Gramatté has used it to create an effect not unlike a sepia photograph, lending the work a quiet, melancholic quality. You can see the artist's hand clearly in the way the ink pools and bleeds, revealing the absorbency of the paper. The apparent speed with which the image was made is telling. Gramatté was clearly interested in capturing a likeness, but also in the expressive potential of the materials themselves. The economical approach underscores the significance of everyday subjects, challenging the art world's traditional focus on luxury and spectacle.