Tannhäuser in the confessional 

Victor Müller made this drawing, "Tannhäuser in the confessional," using graphite on paper. Graphite, in its raw form, is a relatively modest material, mined from the earth and processed into a form that can leave a trace. Here, that trace has a ghostly quality, appropriate for the scene, which depicts a moment of conflict between sacred and profane love, based on Wagner's opera. The artist has built up the image through countless tiny strokes, creating a sense of volume, and also of drama. We can see erasures and reworkings, especially around the figure of Tannhäuser himself, at the left. The drawing allows us to witness Müller's process, his hand moving across the page as he wrestled with the composition. While the subject matter may be high-flown, the means are quite direct: a material connection between the artist's hand and the paper’s surface. This is true of so many drawings, and reminds us that even the most seemingly rarefied imagery has its basis in earthly, tactile effort.