Schets van een man met een baard, in profiel naar links 1874 - 1925

This is a sketch of a bearded man, made by Jan Veth. The artist used graphite on paper, a humble medium with a long history. The magic of drawing lies in its immediacy, in how quickly a thought can become an image. Here, the artist used the side of the graphite stick to create tone, and a sharp point for the outlines. You can see the texture of the paper coming through, which adds to the drawing's liveliness. Sketching is about the economy of means. It is the ability to suggest form with just a few lines, capturing the essence of a subject. In the past, the ability to draw was considered a fundamental skill for all sorts of trades and professions, not just fine art. It was central to design and engineering, sciences and crafts. This small sketch reminds us that all art begins with a basic act of mark-making. And that skill, put to paper with simple materials, is often the most revealing.