Mother And Child 1932

Alexandre Jacovleff made this chalk drawing, Mother and Child, in 1932. There's a softness and looseness to the marks, which lets the figures emerge gradually. It's all about touch, right? I mean, look at the way Jacovleff teases out the texture of the mother's skin and the child's clothing. The strokes are like whispers, building up to a gentle hum. The drawing has a kind of tender gaze. Notice how the hatching around the hat and shoulders gives way to these scribbled lines, like the artist is feeling their way through the shadows and light. The layering in the drawing reminds me of Degas. His pastels also have that sense of searching, of not quite resolving, but finding something beautiful in the process. What I love about this piece, like a lot of art, is that it doesn't give you all the answers. Instead, it invites you to slow down and observe.