Schießender Jäger nach rechts 

Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt’s “Shooting Hunter to the Right” captures a figure in action using graphite pencil on paper. The starkness of the medium influences the work's raw appearance; you can see every stroke, every erasure, emphasizing its status as a study rather than a finished piece. The texture of the paper itself adds another layer to the work’s materiality, contrasting with the smooth lines of the hunter’s pose. Hirt likely engaged with traditional sketching techniques, honing skills through countless preliminary drawings. But here, the absence of detail throws the work into an interesting space. The focus shifts from idealized representation to the act of hunting itself. We might consider the labor involved in hunting, and perhaps also how a sketch like this relates to the larger economic activities of the time. Paying attention to materials, making, and context enriches our experience, allowing us to appreciate the layers of history embedded within it.