Portret van Viola Possibly 1914

Chris Lebeau made this graphite drawing, Portret van Viola, in 1914. Look at the subtle shifts in tone as the graphite moves across the paper, building a vision of the subject with fine lines and delicate shading. I can imagine Lebeau sitting with his model, Viola, carefully observing the fall of light on her face and hair. What was it like for them? What did they talk about? You get such a sense of gentle observation from this drawing. And that hair! So smooth and sleek. I love the way the hair is rendered with such precision and detail at the top, but then dissolves into a more fluid, wavy texture towards the bottom. Lebeau worked as a designer as well as an artist. Do you see how the drawing is contained within a border? This gives the image a decorative and symbolic aspect. It reminds me of the work of other symbolist artists at the time and the way they thought about capturing beauty on paper.