Studie til et portræt af professor, dr.med. Carl Lorentzen (1860-1932) 1913 - 1914

Edvard Weie made this drawing of Professor Carl Lorentzen with graphite on paper. It's a study, so you can see the artist working through it, searching for a likeness. There are tight, dark clusters of marks offset against more freely drawn lines. The cross-hatching feels frantic, building up the shadows around the professor’s brow and cheek. The lines are so charged with energy, they almost vibrate on the page! I can imagine Weie, his hand moving quickly, trying to capture the essence of this man. What was he thinking about as he made the drawing? Was he trying to get at something beyond just a physical resemblance? Did he capture something of the professor’s personality or intellect in those marks? This reminds me of other portrait drawings by artists like Van Gogh, where the lines themselves seem to convey as much as the subject. It’s all part of an ongoing conversation between artists across time, isn't it? Each one building on what came before, finding new ways to express something about what it means to be human.