Flusslandschaft mit einer Mühle und einem Berg c. 1530

Sebastiano Resta made this landscape drawing with pen and brown ink on paper in the 17th century. The fine lines of ink capture the scene with a sense of immediacy, as though the artist sketched it directly from life. This was a period when the technology of paper production was becoming quite sophisticated, and the use of pen and ink was widespread, connecting the artist to a larger culture of writing and documentation. The landscape appears to be in service of the figure; it could be that the figure will be used for another painting, or that it's a drawing in its own right. The landscape is not a prominent feature, it is a quick set of marks to add context to the figure. Looking at the drawing, we might consider the simple materials, and the amount of labor involved in its production. And it reminds us that understanding any artwork involves understanding the context in which it was made, as much as the final image.