Manskop met steek 1752 - 1789

Caspar Jacobsz. Philips made this drawing of a man with a tricorn hat with pen on paper. The drawing’s appearance emerges from the process of stippling, or applying many small dots to a surface to create an image. Think of the painstaking labor involved in applying each of these marks, a technique often associated with printmaking rather than drawing. It’s a decidedly unflashy method, but a good way for an artist to produce nuanced gradations of tone. Notice how Philips builds up the density of the dots to create shadows and contours, defining the form of the man's face and hat. This was a period defined by extraordinary displays of skill. And in its quiet, understated way, Philips’s drawing represents that value, too. By focusing on materials, making, and context, we expand the boundaries of traditional art history, challenging distinctions between high art and craft.