Vier voorstellingen van een staand figuur met kind 1777 - 1779

Pieter de Mare made these four sketches of a standing figure with child using pen and brown ink. What is most interesting here is not the subject, but the medium itself: pen and ink. Drawing is often seen as immediate and preparatory, a quick sketch done before the real work of painting begins. But the use of pen and ink elevates it beyond simple studies. It suggests a commitment to the line itself as a form of expression. This is, in a sense, the craft of drawing, with De Mare using the pen almost like a needlepoint. We might also consider what the drawings depict: working-class people in unassuming poses. Here, the quotidian moments of everyday life are captured with the same care and attention typically reserved for grand historical subjects. By choosing pen and ink, De Mare ennobles the working class and suggests that their stories are just as worthy of artistic attention. It's a subtle but powerful statement.