George Platt Lynes c. 1937

Pavel Tchelitchew made this portrait of George Platt Lynes using reddish-brown ink. The drawing feels tender, almost hesitant. The strokes are tentative, as if Tchelitchew is feeling his way around Lynes’ face, mapping out his features with delicate lines and splatters of ink. The overall effect is quite ethereal, like a memory or a dream. Look how the light catches the cheekbone, the brow. I wonder what Tchelitchew was thinking as he made this drawing? Was he in love with Lynes? Were they close? Is it right after they argued? The gaze is gentle, but the eyes are closed. Were they closed during the sitting? Or is this a way of drawing the sitter as an object of desire? Or of making the viewer an object of desire? Paintings and drawings like this remind me that art is a conversation across time, a way for artists to connect with each other and with us. Each mark contains so much complexity, inviting multiple readings.