Tiru-Fragments 1984

Francois Rouan made this drawing, Tiru-Fragments, with ink, and I’m immediately drawn to the process of its creation. The hatching marks build form in a way that's almost architectural, like he's constructing a world, one line at a time. There is a lot of cross-hatching, these lines creating a surface where figures emerge from a woven background. I see bodies, maybe a reclining nude, a face in profile. The texture feels both dense and airy, solid and fleeting. Look closely at the bottom left – that tangle of lines could be anything! Is it a cluster of bodies, or just a beautifully chaotic mess? Rouan's work reminds me of Cy Twombly, but with a tighter, more controlled energy. Both are interested in the gesture of drawing, in letting the hand lead the way. This piece embraces ambiguity, inviting us to get lost in its lines. It’s a reminder that art is not about answers, but about the questions we ask.