Sitzende männliche Modellfigur 

Editor: This is "Seated Male Model Figure" by Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt, done with red chalk, although it's not dated. There's a striking directness about the man’s gaze that holds my attention. How might we interpret his pose in relation to his societal role? Curator: The red chalk medium immediately highlights issues of production. Consider the ready availability of chalk. It's relatively inexpensive, thus facilitating practice and preparatory sketches. Think of it as a utilitarian choice. This accessibility impacts the number of preliminary drawings artists could create, almost a factory of form. How do the characteristics of the chalk, its texture, its color, shape our reading of this figure as being somewhat unrefined or grounded? Editor: That makes me think about the way Hirt chose to depict the fabric of his clothes. The lines almost give a sense of the coarseness of the fabric, especially in the folds. Were the materials easily sourced, thus reproduced to create his attire? Curator: Exactly. Notice how the hatching defines form, but also conveys texture. This connects the work directly to its materiality and raises the question of labor. Think about who produced that chalk. Think about where his clothes were manufactured. Every line in the drawing, and every visible garment speaks to those material conditions. The very "realness" is constructed by highlighting the work put into producing all items we see. How might the frottage technique relate to ideas about mass production? Editor: It definitely changes my initial read of "directness" towards thinking about how the art materials, in fact, contribute to an aura of that. Thank you! Curator: Precisely. And, understanding the medium, production, and consumption helps us rethink traditional art historical categories.