The Dream of Saint Joseph 1700 - 1800

"The Dream of Saint Joseph" is a drawing made with pen and brown wash on paper, by an anonymous artist. The character of the artwork resides in the very skillful handling of the materials – the way the washes pool and stain the paper, and the sureness of the pen lines that define the figures. You see the artist experimenting with how much detail to include, and where. Note for example the economy of line in the angel, versus the greater elaboration of Saint Joseph’s beard. It is this kind of variation, only possible through close engagement with the materials at hand, that gives the drawing its vitality. And while we may not know who made it, we can still appreciate their deep understanding of the craft of drawing. It makes you wonder what other kinds of knowledge this person had – and what other ways of knowing we might value, if we paid closer attention to the evidence of making.