Kahlköpfiger Greis nach rechts c. 1750 - 1774

This is Grillet’s ‘Kahlköpfiger Greis nach rechts’ at the Städel Museum, a drawing focused on the head of an old man. The composition is immediately striking; the head, rendered in muted browns, grays, and faint pinks, dominates the frame, set against a neutral background that pushes it forward. Notice how the artist pays meticulous attention to the textures of aging skin. Grillet’s choice of medium underscores the drawing's themes. The chalk allows for subtle gradations of tone, capturing the nuances of light and shadow on the man's face. The lines around the eyes and mouth, etched with precision, reveal the weight of experience. We might consider this work within a broader context of portraiture and its traditional function of immortalizing the sitter. Yet, here, the emphasis is less on idealization and more on the raw physicality of aging. The semiotic system at play here uses the signs of decay—wrinkles, sagging skin, thinning hair—to destabilize conventional notions of beauty and power. This drawing isn't merely a depiction of an old man; it's an essay on the transient nature of the human form. As you move on, consider how the artwork invites us to confront our own perceptions of mortality.