Esad Mekuli 2022

Gazmend Freitag created this drawing, 'Esad Mekuli', in 2022, and it's like catching a glimpse of a conversation between the artist and his subject. Imagine Freitag, pencil in hand, maybe squinting a little as he looks back and forth, trying to capture not just a likeness but something deeper. The lines, especially around the eyes, they tell a story, right? It feels like he is tracing not just the contours of the face but also the lines of experience etched into it. The marks are dense, and the overall effect is one of concentrated attention. It's like he is thinking aloud with his pencil, each stroke a little question, a little probe into the essence of the person he's drawing. It reminds me a bit of some of Lucian Freud's portraits, where every line seems to carry the weight of observation. Artists are always talking to each other across time, across styles, and I like to think of this drawing as part of that ongoing conversation.