Sketches of a crow looking up 1920

Jan Mankes rendered these sketches of a crow, sometime before 1920, using graphite and ink on paper. The artist’s engagement with the crow as a subject can be seen as a focus on materiality, particularly as it relates to the natural world. Mankes used the inherent qualities of graphite and ink to convey the textures and forms of the bird's feathers and the surrounding foliage, using the contrast between the light sketch of the bird and the dark ink to capture light and shadow. The processes Mankes employed are traditional to art making, yet the everyday nature of the subject gives it a social significance. There is a certain amount of labor involved in the close observation of the crow, which is associated with the rural landscape. The tools are simple and the techniques are tied to creative practices and aesthetics, alongside that of fine arts. The artist engages with a direct and unpretentious way of representing the natural world, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.