Wooded Landscape with Donkeys and Goats, and Castle on Hill in Distance n.d.

Paul Bril made this drawing, Wooded Landscape with Donkeys and Goats, using pen and brown ink. The choice of medium is important because of the kind of mark-making it allows. Look closely, and you can see the painstaking process that Bril employed. He rendered the scene with countless tiny strokes, building up the image bit by bit. This technique, akin to weaving or embroidery, emphasizes the labor invested in the work. The density of lines creates a sense of depth and texture, especially in the foliage and the bark of the trees. The animals in the foreground, too, are carefully delineated. Before industrial production, all art was this laborious, and the status of artists depended on their ability to convey value through painstaking effort. Even in a seemingly straightforward landscape like this one, we can see the lingering influence of that tradition. The humble materials of pen and ink are transformed through immense care, blurring the lines between craft and fine art.