Two Men at a Table 

Curator: Carl Robert Holty created this charcoal drawing titled "Two Men at a Table." What strikes you immediately about this piece? Editor: Melancholy. It feels like the prelude to a sad story. Look at the density of the charcoal; it speaks of late nights and weighty conversation. And the way the men are positioned – so close, yet utterly isolated in their own worlds. I wonder, what's in that glass? Curator: The men do seem caught in their thoughts. The artist has given the scene a sort of timeless quality, don't you think? It seems like it could be anywhere, any era. The starkness of the charcoal only adds to that feeling. What can you tell me about the creation of a charcoal drawing like this? Editor: Holty’s process here seems fairly direct. He is likely building the composition with layers of charcoal. If he's using vine charcoal, he could easily wipe away passages and redraw; compressed charcoal, which leaves darker marks, would call for bolder decisions. Notice how he renders fabric through subtle variations in pressure and hatching. What are your thoughts? Curator: There is a real contrast. I am stuck by their cubist, almost stylized faces in an otherwise very traditionally drawn scene. The angles he creates are angular but the poses and tone evoke warmth. Perhaps their minds and emotions do not mirror one another. Or perhaps the drinks aren’t doing what they should! Editor: Exactly! The glass almost acts as a character itself. Is that an absinthe glass? Given the time, place and the weight in the air... Perhaps that's why their perspectives don't meet. Either way, Holty's choices with medium create depth, tension, and a tangible atmosphere. Curator: And now I’m wondering about the artist's own story—the context behind these particular men. Perhaps it was something Holty himself witnessed in a smoky café, something deeply felt that he then transformed with the strokes of charcoal into something we can all connect with. Editor: Regardless, the economic circumstances influence everything about it. Where it will hang. How we relate to it. Material use is only the start. I hope our listeners start asking those questions for themselves!