Holy Family 

Paul Troger created this drawing, *Holy Family*, with pen and brown ink at an unknown date. The immediate visual experience is dominated by fluid lines that define form and volume. Notice how the figures emerge from the paper through a network of layered strokes, creating depth and texture. Troger uses a range of hatching techniques to build up shadows and suggest the fall of light, a common feature in Baroque art. The cross-hatching on Mary's robe, for example, adds a sense of weight and substance, contrasting with the lighter, more delicate lines used to depict the infant Jesus. The composition is structured to draw your eye to the faces, each rendered with a particular focus on emotion, connecting the figures and inviting contemplation on the theme of familial love and divinity. The linear quality of the drawing emphasizes the spiritual, presenting us with an opportunity to engage with the artwork's symbolic and aesthetic qualities. The meaning here is not fixed but is generated through the ongoing exchange between the artwork and its viewers.