Der Sündenfall, am Baum der Erkenntnis kauert ein Dämon 

Heinrich Friedrich Füger made this drawing depicting The Fall of Man in ink and wash, with just a few economical strokes. The quick, fluid quality suggests it was made in preparation for a painting or print. Füger was working at a time when the academies of Europe had established drawing as the bedrock of artistic practice. He handles the ink with confidence, building up tone with cross-hatching, and indicating shadow with washes of diluted ink. Notice how the artist used the weight of the lines to bring the figures to life. Look at the demon, coiled around the tree of knowledge. Füger used ink in a traditional way, yet he gives the scene a contemporary feel, indicative of an artist reflecting on art history while keen to establish his own individual style. Thinking about the production of this drawing reminds us that what seems like a spontaneous act of creation can be deeply rooted in craft traditions and social conventions.