Oude man 1741 - 1820

This drawing of an old man, whose Dutch title is Oude Man, was made by Abraham Delfos using graphite, pen and brush in the 18th century. The artist’s technique here is really interesting: hatching, or drawing many tiny parallel lines close together, is used to build up a grey background and to model the folds of fabric in the man’s robe. Delfos also deployed stippling, using a brush to create tone with tiny dots. You can see how these techniques allowed the artist to slowly and methodically build up a subtle portrait of aging, with a real sense of the toll that time takes on us. It's intriguing to think of the labor involved in this image – all those tiny marks that the artist made by hand. It really makes you consider the value of skilled craftsmanship in an era before mechanical reproduction. And it makes us consider the dignity of this older figure, who has presumably also spent many years working with his hands. By appreciating the making of this drawing, we can appreciate the value of labor in all its forms.