Koppen van een man met een muts c. 1765 - 1775

This is a page of sketches by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, made with graphite on paper. In essence, that's all there is to it: a readily available material, applied with speed and dexterity. Fragonard would have used a graphite stick, made by combining powdered graphite with clay and firing it. The pencil was encased in wood – a simple technology, but essential to modern life. Think of how many billions of pencils have been made, and how many marks they have left on the world. Here, Fragonard uses graphite to create an entirely different effect than, say, the highly finished surfaces of his paintings. The lines are scratchy, exploratory, and the artist's hand is very much in evidence. The very concept of a sketch implies a certain informality, a contrast to the highly structured and regulated world of academic painting. These rapid works on paper also speak to the immense labour and work that goes into the making of art. They remind us that materials, making and context are key to fully appreciate the meaning of art.