Drei auf einem Sofa sitzende Frauen in Unterhaltung c. 1771 - 1772

Georg Melchior Kraus made this expressive drawing of three women in conversation using pen and brown ink, with a watercolor wash. The earthy tones of the ink and the paper itself give a sense of immediacy to the scene. Kraus uses a relatively dry pen, so you can see every stroke, hatch, and nervous line. It's a technique that lends itself well to capturing fleeting moments of social interaction. The drawing feels both spontaneous and studied, as if Kraus dashed it off, yet was also clearly committed to depicting the details of his sitters’ clothing and posture. In the eighteenth century, pen and wash drawings like this one were often made in preparation for larger paintings, or as independent works of art. What I find fascinating here is the directness of Kraus's approach. It's not just a record of a moment, but a window into the artist's own process, and the social world around him. The artist's hand and eye are both fully present.