Three Profile Caricatures of Men 

Alfred Bendiner created "Three Profile Caricatures of Men" using graphite on paper. The sheet is divided into quadrants, each containing a study of a man's profile. These fragmented portraits, sketched with loose, energetic lines, capture not just physical likeness but also a sense of character. Bendiner's method here deconstructs traditional portraiture, breaking it down into essential components. The exaggerated features and the unfinished quality of the sketches invite viewers to complete the image, engaging them in a dialogue about perception and representation. It’s as if Bendiner is exploring the very essence of how we perceive identity, reducing it to a series of lines and forms. The artist challenges the notion of a fixed, coherent self. This sketch reflects the modernist concern with the instability of meaning, suggesting that identity is fluid, fragmented, and always under construction. It reminds us that what we see is always an interpretation, a play of surfaces and signs.