La Poilue 1916

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this drawing, La Poilue, in 1915 with what looks like charcoal. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the paper, lines dancing and overlapping to bring this figure to life. I can imagine Steinlen, in his studio, wrestling with the image, trying to capture the strength and spirit of this woman. He’s using a mix of delicate, wispy strokes for her hair and more assertive marks to define her form, really pushing and pulling at the charcoal to get the effect he wants. It's amazing how the texture of the charcoal adds a kind of grit and rawness to the image. I wonder if he was thinking about Goya or Daumier, those artists who also captured the raw edges of humanity. The way Steinlen uses line is really interesting, it reminds me of some of my own work, where I try to let the mark-making itself convey emotion and meaning. Painting, drawing - it's all about this ongoing conversation, isn't it? We're all just riffing off each other, trying to find new ways to express something true.