Volterra 1923

"Volterra" by Hermann Lismann is a monochrome drawing using ink, brush and charcoal. I’m thinking about Hermann outside, lugging his paper and materials, maybe on a donkey, right? And he sets up with his ink and charcoal to draw the rolling hills in Volterra. The dark sweeping marks and smudgy charcoal feel moody, and it makes me think about how an artist creates a site of inquiry. The landscape comes into being through touch, through layering, and it’s not exactly what’s there, but it’s also very much what’s there. He's making marks, but he is also thinking about how the medium is able to capture atmosphere and mood. You see the artist trying to capture the essence of the landscape. It’s like Hermann is in conversation with all the artists who have tried to represent the world, an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring each other's creativity.