Youth Seated on a Bench

From the Getty Museum record

Drawn from life, the sheet conveys a quiet and engaging moment of reflection. Sitting alone on a bench, a young man dressed in military clothes looks to the side while grasping a slip of paper in his right hand. His boyish face, and feet that barely reach the floor, make his military service at such a young age all the more poignant. The fall of light dances across the youth's face and costume, an effect the artist achieved through the delicate application of black chalk. His soft, controlled use of hatching enhances the figure's sculptural volume. Contrasting broad areas of white paper with black chalk, the artist suggested a shimmering pattern of light and dark.