Study for Winged Youth c. 1893

Elihu Vedder made this study for Winged Youth, using thin lines of graphite pencil and touches of white chalk on paper. Vedder's choice of materials – humble graphite and chalk – speaks to the work's status as a preliminary sketch. The paper itself is a muted, neutral tone, allowing the artist to build form through subtle gradations of light and shadow. We can follow the artist's thought process as he worked out the composition and anatomical details. Notice the inscription at the bottom, ‘This is the New Year,’ slightly raised as if cast in plaster. The inherent simplicity of drawing, a direct translation of thought to paper, contrasts with the potential grandeur of the final winged figure. The artist seems to be working out the tension between the material, the figure, and the inscription. Paying attention to the materials and the making allows us to consider the effort behind the art, challenging the idea that art emerges fully formed, and also gives value to the processes that are often dismissed as preliminary.