Bauer auf einem Stuhl, nach links gewandt 1687

Cornelis Dusart’s ‘Peasant Seated on a Chair, Facing Left,’ was made with graphite, and subtle touches of red chalk. The softness of the graphite allows Dusart to describe the sitter’s relaxed posture, and the texture of his clothes. The hatching technique used to build up the tones also adds to the image's rustic feel. Consider the skill required to render the figure in such detail with just a pencil; the way light falls across the subject’s face and clothing. The slight, but assured, use of red chalk brings a sense of warmth to his hands. But beyond technique, the drawing also captures the material realities of 17th-century Dutch rural life. The sitter’s simple clothing, the wooden chair he sits upon, and the staff he holds all speak to the hard work of rural existence. Dusart reminds us that even the simplest of images are made possible by the work of many hands.