Thoughtful woman 1936

Mikuláš Galanda made this drawing, named Thoughtful Woman, in what looks like either pencil or charcoal, and ink. I really love how simple it is. The limited palette is really striking, the way Galanda used the off-white of the page to create a kind of negative space. This creates a real sense of depth, pulling the eye in and out of the image. The lines are so sure, particularly the thick dark outlines, so dark they’re almost velvety. See how they define the woman's form, almost like a sculptor working with wire. But then there’s the soft, smudged pencil shading around her face, giving it a totally different feel. It’s like he’s playing with different ways of seeing, different ways of describing a form. This reminds me of Picasso's drawings - but with an earthier, more intimate feel. Galanda's work, like all great art, is a reminder that simplicity can be incredibly powerful, and that art is always a conversation across time.