Building ensemble with tower 

Karl Ballenberger made this delicate drawing of a building with a tower using graphite on paper. Graphite, essentially the stuff of pencils, allows for a fine level of detail, and here, Ballenberger uses it to capture the textures of stone, wood, and the surrounding foliage. The very act of drawing, particularly with graphite, has a long social history. Pencils became widely available in the 19th century, coinciding with the rise of industrial production and mass education. This made drawing accessible to a broader range of people, not just trained artists. Look at the precision of the lines, the careful rendering of light and shadow. You can imagine Ballenberger, sketchbook in hand, patiently observing and documenting the world around him. His labor, rendered in graphite, gives us a glimpse into his time, and perhaps his appreciation for the built environment. This reminds us that every artwork is, in essence, a product of both material and social forces.