Study of seated women 1985

This study of a seated woman by Edwin Austin Abbey is charcoal on paper, a medium that lends itself to the immediacy of gesture. I imagine Abbey circling the model, rapidly trying to capture not just her likeness, but the fleeting essence of her pose. Look at the hatching; the paper is toned, and the cross hatching of the charcoal suggests both light and shadow. Notice how economical he is with the lines describing her hands, the way they're loosely clasped. There's an energy in this piece that speaks to the dynamism of the artist's gaze. It's a study, an exploration, a dialogue between artist and sitter. The way he uses line here reminds me of Degas, both of them capturing figures in motion, not posed but alive. Artists like Abbey leave us these breadcrumbs of process, little windows into their thinking. It’s exciting to see the work, the search, the conversation of art making across time.