Landschap 1773 - 1843

Georges Michel created this landscape drawing using graphite on paper. Graphite, a form of carbon, has been used for centuries for drawing, prized for its ability to create subtle gradations of tone. Michel's marks here are light, exploratory, almost like a kind of notation. Note the paper itself: seemingly inexpensive, perhaps even scrap material. The drawing bears an inventory number, suggesting its archival status. We don’t know if the drawing was a preparatory sketch or a work in itself. This leads us to wonder about the nature of artistic labor. Is the true work of art the finished painting, or do these more ephemeral drawings also have value? This distinction between ‘high art’ and working drawings has implications for the status of art within a capitalist system. Is the drawing simply a means to an end, or does it embody something more? Considering these questions challenges traditional ideas about art and its relationship to labor.