Maria met het Kind, staande onder een appelboom, temidden van musicerende engelen 1860 - 1919

This delicate drawing of Maria and Child, amidst angels and an apple tree, was made by Friedrich Franz Maria Stummel, sometime between 1850 and 1919. The first thing to notice is the material: graphite on paper. This isn't some high-flown medium like oil paint or marble. It's humble, unassuming, and democratic. Look at the way Stummel uses the pencil. He builds up the image with countless tiny strokes, creating a sense of light and shadow. You can almost feel the texture of the paper beneath the graphite, evidence of the artist's hand laboring over the image. The lines are hatched and cross-hatched, a slow process and great skill. The precision and delicacy of the drawing give the artwork its special quality. Stummel's choice of materials and techniques speaks to the broader social and cultural context. In an era of industrialization, he embraced a slow, deliberate approach to art making, a kind of resistance to the relentless pace of modern life. This piece reminds us that art doesn't have to be grand or bombastic to be meaningful.