Sketches for Biblical Scenes

Rodolphe Bresdin created these Sketches for Biblical Scenes using pen and brown ink on paper. The fineness of the lines suggests a quill, and the warm brown color comes from an ink high in tannin. The artist’s hand is evident in the energetic, almost frantic quality of the lines, giving the sketches a sense of immediacy. The artist has used the pen to quickly map out the compositions, allowing the material to reveal a complex interplay of light and shadow. Bresdin’s chosen medium is particularly interesting because it aligns his work with a longer history of drawing and printmaking, of readily available and inexpensive methods of reproducing images. This contrasts with the almost mystical or visionary themes, lending them a sense of the everyday. It's a reminder that art can be found in the simplest of materials, and that the process of making is as important as the final product.