Aften på terrassen, Bormes, Provence 1912

J.A. Jerichau sketched ‘Aften på terrassen, Bormes, Provence’ using pen and ink on paper. The immediacy of the medium lends itself to capturing a fleeting moment with a sense of informal leisure. Jerichau's choice of materials and rapid execution emphasizes the value of this particular activity: the casual consumption of food and drink. It is as if to reflect the disposable aspects of consumer culture: that the moment, as well as the drawing capturing it, is of little consequence. The fluid strokes of ink create depth, shadow, and form, and the choice of this quick medium allows for an impressionistic representation, hinting at details rather than meticulously rendering them. This sketch, more than a detailed painting, encapsulates a lifestyle, subtly questioning the values of the cultural elite.