Liefdadigheid naar vermogen Possibly 1923 - 1924

Erich Wichmann made this drawing, "Liefdadigheid naar vermogen", with graphite, sometime around 1923. The title translates to something like 'Charity to the best of one’s ability,' and what I love about it is the feeling that it’s just been pulled out of the ether. See how the graphite sort of clumps in places, creating these dark accents that give the figures shape? It’s not blended or smoothed; it’s raw, like a quick thought jotted down. The lines aren’t precise. They wobble and thicken, suggesting form without defining it completely. And that scribble of graphite at the top right – is it hair, a thought bubble, or just pure energy? The sketchiness gives it a sense of immediacy, as if Wichmann was capturing something fleeting. It reminds me a bit of some of the drawings by Odilon Redon; both artists share a similar interest in the ambiguity of dreams and the power of suggestion. Ultimately, the real art lives in the space between the lines.