Drawing
Drawing is for Jean Hirtzel a constant exercise, a way to perceive the world. He dedicates a large part of his time to it. If certain drawings represent an approach or a research, a number of drawings on paper are artworks in and of themselves.
Drawing constitutes the favoured means of expression during his travels ; sketches and notes succeed each other in many sketchbooks representing entire records of the artist’s daily life. When he is sedentary, he takes on new research themes by drawing and then develops them in the form of paintings or sculptures.
The quick execution and the simplicity of the tools used (Indian ink, lead mine, colour crayons, coal, charcoal or graphite) allows one to measure Jean Hirtzel’s skill. Drawing, the first tool of visual expression for mankind, corresponds to a quest for the source of creation that captivates him.