Siddende model 1914 - 1915

Karl Isakson made this pencil drawing, “Sitting Model,” sometime between 1878 and 1922, we don't know exactly when. Look at how Isakson uses just a few lines to suggest the figure. It's like he's trying to capture the essence of the pose, not every detail. The texture of the paper is smooth, but you can see the slight variations in the pencil strokes. Some lines are darker, more assertive, while others are light and tentative, like he's feeling his way around the form. Notice the curve of the back, how it flows into the shoulder, and then the delicate suggestion of the face. It's all so economical, but it conveys so much. Isakson reminds me of Matisse in the way he uses line to create form. There's a similar sense of elegance and simplicity. Art is an ongoing conversation, and each artist builds on what came before. With a drawing like this, Isakson invites us to see the world in a new way, to appreciate the beauty of a simple line, and to find meaning in the ambiguity of the incomplete.