Studies for Lunettes 1890 - 1897

Charles Sprague Pearce created these "Studies for Lunettes" using pencil and crayon on paper. Here we see the artist at work, mapping out his intentions for a series of semicircular paintings, known as lunettes. The medium itself—pencil and crayon—is relatively humble. It invites a sense of immediacy and provisionality; Pearce is thinking aloud, not yet committed to a final form. Note the loose, sketchy quality of the lines, and the way the composition spreads across the page, a record of the artist's hand and eye. This working method, emphasizing the artist's direct engagement with materials, was often downplayed in traditional art history. But it is exactly this process that lends the image its energy and authenticity. Here, the value lies in the intimacy and the artist's labor. These simple materials allow for a fluid and direct translation of thought to paper. Appreciating the work involved in the production process allows us to challenge traditional notions of what constitutes "high" art.