Augustus de Grote en zijn soldaten steken de Granicus over c. 1655 - 1665

Leonaert Bramer made this drawing of Augustus and his soldiers crossing the Granicus using pen and brush with grey wash. You can see the quickness and relative economy of gesture. The grey wash isn't exactly cheap, but compared to the labor and expense of a fully realized painting, this is much more like a sketch, capturing a moment in time. It probably wasn’t intended as a finished work, but rather to capture ideas, and practice technique. Consider the social context. This was likely made for an aristocratic patron, someone with the leisure to collect drawings. While the artist would be a skilled professional, drawings like this allowed them to explore their craft and develop concepts without the pressure of a large commission. So, next time you see a drawing, don’t just think of it as a preliminary step. Think about the directness of the hand, the quick translation of thought into form, and how that relates to social class and economics.