Inneres einer antiken Ruine 

Franz Kobell made this sketch of an ancient ruin with pen and ink on gray paper. Look closely, and you’ll notice the lines are quickly, but confidently drawn, capturing the crumbling grandeur of classical architecture. The choice of pen and ink, with its immediacy, suggests that Kobell wasn’t aiming for a finished work, but a study. Perhaps he was preparing for a more elaborate painting, or simply wanted to capture the scene before him. The way the ink bleeds slightly into the paper gives the image a sense of depth and atmosphere, almost as if the ruins are dissolving back into the landscape. This quality of the materials speaks to the tradition of plein air sketching, so popular at this time. So, the next time you see a quick sketch, remember that it's not just a preliminary study, it can be a work of art in its own right, imbued with the qualities of its materials, and the hand of the artist.