Refugiés c. 1918

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this drawing, Refugiés, using graphite and crayon. The marks are scratchy and light, kind of like he was thinking out loud. You can see the process, how the lines build up to make the forms. The palette is limited, mostly browns and grays, with just a touch of red. The colours create a somber, muted mood. The texture of the paper shows through, which I love. It reminds you that this is a physical thing, made by hand. Look at the way he’s drawn the faces: so much tenderness and worry in their expressions. The graphite feels thin and fragile in some areas, and dense and layered in others, creating a real sense of depth and emotion. It makes you think about vulnerability and resilience, about the human capacity to endure. Steinlen reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who used drawing to express social and political concerns. Both artists show that art is about much more than just aesthetics.