Convalescents 1915

This drawing was made by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen in 1915. Look at these two convalescents, rendered in delicate lines, sitting side by side on a bench. I imagine Steinlen sitting in front of the paper with a stick of charcoal, observing the subjects and allowing the image to unfold in front of his eyes. The hatching that forms the figures is very expressive. The diagonal strokes move with a real energy, while the faces have been described with just a few lines. You can almost feel the quality of light on the paper. I really feel for the artist here. What was he thinking when he made this piece? Was he recording an image or making it up? It’s like he’s in a conversation with other draughtsmen, like Käthe Kollwitz, maybe, trading notes on how to capture the essence of humanity with a few marks. All artists inspire one another’s creativity. Painting and drawing is an ongoing exchange of ideas across time. It is a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.