Classical Interior with a Statue of Hercules 1795 - 1805

Jean-Arnaud Raymond made this drawing of a classical interior with a statue of Hercules, sometime in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, using pen and ink, with watercolor washes, on paper. The precise lines of the architecture and the statue itself are carefully drawn, lending a sense of classical order. Raymond has used these thin lines to define the forms, and create a sense of depth and scale. Washes of watercolor imbue the interior scene with light and shadow, lending a sense of atmosphere to the scene, yet the scene is devoid of the messiness of labor. The linear precision and delicate application of color suggest the hand of a skilled draughtsman, trained in the academic tradition. This approach is far removed from the strenuous exertion of a sculptor, or a stonemason laboring to create monumental structures. Raymond’s drawing engages with the aesthetics of classical antiquity, and also with the social structures that supported the creation and appreciation of art. The drawing serves as a reminder that the creation of art is always tied to the social and economic conditions in which it is made.