Head of A Woman 1926

Marie Laurencin made this drawing, Head of a Woman, in 1926 with pencil and crayon. I love her mark making here. It’s almost like she’s feeling her way around the contours of the face, letting the lines build up to define the form. There’s something so tender and intimate about the way she renders the woman’s features. The colors are muted and soft, which adds to the dreamy quality of the piece. The hatching feels raw, almost tentative, especially around the eyes. It’s like Laurencin is trying to capture a fleeting expression. When I look at this drawing, I'm reminded of other artists like Paula Modersohn-Becker, who also had a knack for capturing the inner lives of women in their portraits. Like their work, this piece embraces ambiguity, inviting us to project our own stories and emotions onto the subject.