Twee profielen van Madeleine Deslandes 1890 - 1930

Philip Zilcken made this drawing of Madeleine Deslandes, most likely with graphite on paper. Look at the light touch, the way the image seems to emerge from the page, like a memory. I wonder what Zilcken was thinking, making these two studies of her face. One above the other, so close, yet so far away. Was he trying to capture something elusive, something about her character? As an artist, I get that feeling of wanting to understand someone better by drawing them, as if the lines on the page can somehow unlock a deeper truth. The gentle hatching defines her features. And the curls of her hair – they remind me of those classical sculptures, but with a modern sensibility. It’s like he’s trying to pin down a feeling, an essence, that continues to inspire artists today.