Spire and Trees 1945

Jury Annenkov made this sketch of a spire and trees with what looks like blue ballpoint pen on paper. I love the all-overness of the mark making; it’s like he’s knitting the visible world together with strokes of blue. Looking closely, the texture is pretty consistent. The blue lines create a sense of depth and shadow, but it's all done with the same kind of energy, like a continuous, unbroken thought. It’s cool how the blue ink pops against the warm tone of the paper. There’s a spot on the spire, see where the lines get super dense and dark? That’s where the form really starts to feel solid. It reminds me of some drawings by Gustav Klimt. Both artists have this way of capturing a subject with these nervous, energetic lines that are tentative, but confident. Ultimately, art like this reminds us that seeing is a process, not just a passive act.