Two Kneeling Male Saints n.d.

This drawing of two kneeling male saints was created by an anonymous artist with graphite on paper. Look closely, and you’ll see the artist used a grid to construct this composition. The two figures are developed with careful hatching and cross-hatching to create volume and shadow. The drapery is handled with a great deal of attention to detail, suggesting a familiarity with the conventions of classical art. This kind of drawing was a necessary step in workshop production. It would be a study for a larger painting or sculpture, done to work out the composition. It would also serve to instruct apprentices in the workshop. The grid would then enable the transfer of the drawing to a larger canvas. So, while it’s easy to appreciate this sheet as a work of art in its own right, we should also remember that it was part of a much larger system of labor, and one that required the careful application of traditional skills. It reminds us to look beyond the beauty of the image, and to consider the world of production that made it possible.