Conductor - Rear View (Stravinsky?) 1940

This is Donald Greason's 'Conductor - Rear View (Stravinsky?)' from 1940, made with ink on paper. Look at the tentative, searching lines that build up this figure. The light washes suggest form and movement, like a blurry photograph. I can almost see the artist standing there, quickly trying to capture the essence of the conductor’s gestures. Imagine being Greason, trying to pin down that fleeting moment of intense musicality. What’s he thinking as he draws? Is he hearing the music in his head, feeling the rhythm in his arm? That quick, fluid line defining the back, it's not just a contour, it’s a feeling. You can almost feel the energy flowing through the conductor’s body. It reminds me a little of Picasso's quick figure drawings, or maybe even some of Guston's later, more cartoony stuff. There’s a real conversation happening between artists across time, a constant back-and-forth of ideas. It is embodied expression, embracing uncertainty, allowing multiple readings.