Monika Grill 2017

Curator: Gazmend Freitag's pencil drawing, "Monika Grill," made in 2017, is part of a private collection. The artist focused on the details of the face: forehead, nose, and mouth, trying to express a person's individuality through drawing techniques. Editor: I feel the weight of time just looking at this portrait. It’s there in the gentle lines etched around her eyes and mouth. There’s something wonderfully vulnerable about the way it’s rendered, too, so immediate and true to life! Curator: Let’s consider Freitag's choice of material: the humble pencil. In art history, sketches served preparatory role to monumental and more “serious” artistic achievements like paintings or sculptures. But, since the advent of modernism drawing becomes independent, gaining parity as an artistic statement and primary medium in its own right. The act of drawing gains the status. The handwork is brought to the fore front. Editor: Right, it almost feels like we're peeking into the artist's process, witnessing the emergence of Monika’s character line by line. You know, sometimes a simpler tool lets you to access the truest expression, raw emotion without any masks! There’s something profoundly honest here. The lines that might be viewed as imperfection, they, in fact, speak to the real person portrayed! Curator: The emphasis on facial features draws the viewer into Monika’s world. And as you mentioned, all those lines aren’t really mistakes, but the means by which her presence materializes for us. Editor: Absolutely. Each imperfection, each gentle curve tells part of Monika's personal story! I can’t help but imagine what she was thinking when this was drawn... did she know she was creating such intimate artwork? Curator: An interesting perspective, isn’t it? Perhaps the "Monika Grill" in the title could reveal something about the subject that escapes pure visuality. Anyway, considering it now, this image and our reflections around it, offers an appreciation for what drawing, a humble, common medium can do to capture a presence. Editor: Well, thinking about process like that, it definitely changes how I engage with Freitag’s art. It's more than just a portrait; it's almost a collaborative exploration of personality. I think you’re right. It leaves one considering not just who is represented, but all of the conditions that produced it.