To figurer i bevægelse. 1906 - 1909

Othon Friesz made this sketch of two figures in motion with graphite on paper. I’m drawn to the way he uses line, almost like a seismograph recording movement. There’s this raw energy, a sense of searching for the form within the gesture. The texture is immediate, the graphite almost dancing across the page. You can feel the speed of his hand, the way the line varies in pressure, thick and then thin like he's breathing. Look at the way he's built up the larger figure to the left. The layers of line imply a real sense of weight and volume despite the lack of shading. It is the kind of drawing that is full of the joy of doing. This work reminds me of Matisse’s line drawings. Both artists share an interest in capturing form with a kind of restless energy. There is no fixed or final way to view this piece, art is an ongoing exchange of ideas, a conversation across time.