Sketch of an unknown bearded man

Schwitters began visiting Ambleside while on holiday in 1943 and moved there permanently due to ill health. While there, he painted landscapes and portraits and often painted people's portrait instead of paying a bill. Perhaps the unknown man was a Cumbrian, perhaps a fellow prisoner-of-war, perhaps this was sketched in exchange for a free meal. The movement within the sketch, the rapidity with which it was clearly drawn is a reminder of Schwitters' energy for art and immediacy.