Mannelijk naakt, knielend, met stok, naar links 1726

This drawing of a kneeling nude man with a staff was made by Louis Fabritius Dubourg, probably in the mid-1700s, using pen in brown ink, with brush in brown wash, over black chalk. The process here is all about line, defining the figure with hatching that follows the contours of the body. Note the careful control of the pen, and how it is used to suggest the play of light across the figure's muscular form. There are also subtle gradations of tone created through the brown wash. It’s fascinating to think about what this drawing would have meant at the time. It is not exactly an everyday subject – the male nude was a staple of academic art. But equally, it is far from a highly finished painting. Drawings like this one were the raw material out of which painting, sculpture, and even architecture were created. This was where artistry actually happened, in the direct contact between hand, tool, and paper. So while we might think of it as a finished artwork today, it was originally a vital, functional step in the art-making process.