Zittende man met een kruik c. 1868s - 1878s

Jan Willem van Borselen made this drawing of a seated man with a jug, using graphite on paper. This is about as basic a method as you can get. Just a stick of graphite, a cheap support, and a very economical way of making an image. Look at how Van Borselen has deployed hatching and cross-hatching to create tone, volume, and a sense of light. The simplicity of the medium puts pressure on the artist to do more with less. With the use of a minimum of materials he has created an image that suggests an entire world of labor and poverty. The jug nestled in the man’s lap is a particularly poignant detail, as it suggests how closely his livelihood is tied to everyday, modest objects. This work is a great reminder that materials, processes, and social context are crucial to understanding the full meaning of art, even the most apparently simple kind. It makes you consider distinctions between high art and craft.