Forarbejde til stikket: Frederik d. Store rider hjem efter en revy ved Potsdam 1788

J.F. Clemens created this pencil drawing, "Preparatory work for the print: Frederik d. Store riding home after a review near Potsdam," sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. It’s a study, a preliminary sketch for a print, and as such, it offers insight into the artist’s process. Notice the thin, precise lines made by the pencil. Unlike a painting, where layers of color can build up a sense of depth, here Clemens relies on the suggestive power of line alone. The quality of the pencil itself is important. Graphite, when mined and processed, becomes a tool capable of capturing fleeting ideas. The marks on the paper, the visible erasures and corrections, all speak to the artist's hand and the labor involved in creating an image, even a preparatory one. This drawing reminds us that every print, every seemingly reproducible image, begins with a unique, handmade gesture. It blurs the lines between mechanical reproduction and artistic creation.