Two nudes 1935

Zygmunt Waliszewski made this drawing of two nudes, we don’t know exactly when or with what, but it's definitely a process, you can see how he works to find the forms. I love the way the texture of the paper is visible through the drawing, how the pencil is layered to build up tone and volume. The color is restrained, with only a touch of red to bring warmth to the figures. The drawing is full of pentimenti – you can see the ghost of lines, the artist changing his mind and adjusting the forms. The way the figures are placed in the space, one seated, one standing with arm raised behind head, creates a dynamic tension, a kind of quiet energy. There’s a vulnerability to the figures. Thinking of other artists who explored similar themes of the body and sexuality, maybe someone like Egon Schiele. Waliszewski reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time.