Illustration to Novalis, "Hymmen an die NachtRosenhammer" 1941

This dark blue ink drawing was made as an illustration to Novalis's Hymns to the Night by Imre Reiner in 1941. Looking at this drawing I imagine Reiner delicately scratching and stroking the paper with his pen, slowly building up a sense of depth and volume. It's a loose drawing of a woman, probably some kind of goddess or muse, with floral decorations and garlands in her hair. I like how Reiner's mark-making is very present. See how the cross-hatched strokes create shadows? When you put pen to paper, it's like you are in conversation with all the artists who ever drew or made marks before, and I wonder which artists and writers Reiner was in dialogue with? The drawing has a certain quality of romantic melancholy that speaks to the intensity and uncertainty of the moment. This feeling evokes a sense of timeless beauty and invites us to reflect on the deeper mysteries of life and art.