Reproductie van een tekening van een bacchanaal before 1883

This is a reproduction of a drawing of a bacchanal by Léon Evely, though the date of the work is unknown. Bacchanals were wild, ecstatic feasts associated with the Roman god Bacchus, so this image would have been rendered with a sense of chaotic energy. We can see that the drawing seems very free in its handling, with a lot of hatching and cross-hatching, and a real sense of immediacy. This isn't drawing as high art, in the manner of Ingres. Rather, the material of the drawing is very much about the process, the act of recording a fleeting vision or memory, even a fantasy. While it's difficult to determine the social context in which this drawing was created, we can still appreciate the importance of materials, making, and context in understanding its full meaning. This challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.