De Engelschman 1923

Erich Wichmann drew "De Engelschman", likely with graphite, back in 1923. The title translates to "The Englishman," but the image is more ambiguous than that! I’m thinking about how Wichmann worked on this, feeling his way through with the pencil, building up the tone, rubbing it back, and creating the sense of a face emerging. I can imagine the artist, pencil in hand, hovering over the page trying to capture a likeness, or perhaps an impression, of this person, this "Engelschman." Was it a particular individual or a more generic type? The marks create a mood of melancholy and introspection. It’s like he’s conjuring up a ghost! This image has a strange presence, hasn't it? It reminds me a little of the drawings of the Swiss artist, Henry Darger, with their otherworldly quality. Artists are always looking, borrowing, and transforming each other's ideas. "De Engelschman" is like a thought made visible, reminding us that art is a conversation across time, full of echoes and whispers.