Old John Brown of Kansas 1800-1859 1936

This drawing, made by Reuben Kadish, captures the portrait of Old John Brown, but it does so within a constructed space, a sort of stage. I can imagine Kadish’s hand moving across the paper, each stroke building up the dense beard and the haunted eyes. There’s a sense of confinement, isn’t there? The subject is trapped, boxed in by those architectural lines. I wonder if Kadish felt trapped too, wrestling with the weight of history and the burden of representation. The linear marks are so controlled, yet they convey such a sense of unease, the noose hangs lifeless to the side of his face. The way Kadish renders Brown’s beard is captivating, the lines flowing and swirling like a turbulent river. The inclusion of the severed arm adds an almost surrealist touch. Artists are always having conversations with the past, picking up the threads of history and weaving them into something new. And so, the conversation continues.