Willow stem 

Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt made this drawing of a willow stem with graphite on paper. The stark medium emphasizes the bare essence of the natural form. The artist's mark-making skillfully defines the craggy texture of the bark, and the sinuous curves of the branches. The varied pressure on the graphite creates depth, mimicking the light playing across the tree's surface. There's a clear contrast here between the controlled strokes defining the tree and the looser, more gestural marks indicating the surrounding foliage. Hirt's meticulous technique transforms a readily available material into a sensitive and detailed study. But why choose graphite, the very stuff of the industrial revolution, to portray a natural subject? Perhaps it is a statement on the relationship between industry and nature, and the labor needed to extract the raw materials to create the simple drawing tool. Ultimately, this artwork blurs the lines between the industrial and the organic, inviting us to consider the hidden stories behind the materials we often take for granted.