Arttu Reading 1909

"Arttu Reading" was made in 1909 by Pekka Halonen, and is a portrait sketch of the act of reading. The drawing is an entanglement of graphite lines, looping around one another to convey a sense of form. I can imagine the artist, Halonen, rapidly moving his hand across the paper, capturing the essence of his subject in a flurry of marks. It's as if he’s trying to keep up with the fleeting thoughts and expressions of Arttu as he reads, his brow furrowed in concentration. There's a real sense of intimacy in this sketch, a connection between the artist and his subject that transcends mere representation. It reminds me of other artists who explore the immediacy of the sketch, like Giacometti. They both share this raw, honest approach to portraiture, where the process of creation is as important as the final image. It’s like artists are forever responding to one another across time, inspiring new ways of seeing and making.