Study for a Border Design 1890 - 1897

Charles Sprague Pearce made this study for a border design using graphite on paper. The patterns of leaves and ribbons show an interest in surface decoration, rendered with a utilitarian material. But look closer, and you will see that the bottom edge of this sketch is collaged from printed matter. Notice the ruler markings. This wasn't just a design for art's sake. Pearce was using materials from commerce and industry as a grounding for his creativity. This brings up an interesting question: how do we value such drawings? We tend to think of them as preparatory, a means to an end, but not necessarily the main event. Yet it is in these in-between moments, where high art meets everyday life, that we can often see the most interesting tensions at play. The drawing challenges us to think about the labor involved in design, and how this intersects with the artist's work. It invites us to consider craft and art not as separate categories, but as intertwined aspects of creative production.