Untitled 1993

This untitled work was made by Zdzislaw Beksinski, using graphite or charcoal on paper to create a hauntingly beautiful image. Beksinski was really channeling something, wasn't he? It's like he's building up the form bit by bit, almost caressing the paper with those tiny, frantic marks. Look at the way he renders the face; it's like a topographical map, or a weather system. I mean, the surface is built up with this obsessive cross-hatching, but it's not just about volume or light. There's a nervous energy that comes through, like he's trying to capture something that's just out of reach. The texture is almost palpable; you can feel the grit of the charcoal, the way it bites into the paper. It reminds me of the drawings of Alfred Kubin, who was also obsessed with the grotesque and the surreal. Art is a conversation across time, a way of wrestling with our demons and making something beautiful out of the chaos.