Seated Soldier with Head in Hand c. 20th century

Here's a work on paper by Maximilien Luce depicting a seated soldier with his head in his hand. You know, looking at this drawing, it makes me think about all the marks that never make it, the sketches that end up crumpled in the bin. What was it like for Luce to make this? I imagine him, charcoal in hand, smudging and layering, trying to find the right balance between light and shadow to convey the weight of this soldier's weariness. It is all there in the scratching and the anxious lines. The soldier's posture – head in hand – it's a universal gesture of sorrow. What was he feeling, what was he thinking? In a strange way the drawing has an affinity with the work of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who tried to convey the suffering of war through graphic means. Artists are always looking, always responding to what came before. Luce invites us to contemplate the human cost of conflict. It's a reminder that art can be a powerful means of bearing witness.