Sttudy of figure of 6 pm, for The Hours mural at the State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 1992

This is Edwin Austin Abbey's sketch of a figure from 'The Hours' mural. You can really sense Abbey figuring it out as he goes, the marks searching, not quite defined. The charcoal lines have a beautiful softness, a fuzziness almost, but they also imply a lot of weight, especially in that heavy cloak. I love the little touches of red chalk he uses, like a blush on the figure's skin, so subtle it’s almost not there, but somehow it brings the whole drawing to life. Look at the way those darker lines define the contours of the body. The hand is just a ghost of a gesture, unfinished, hovering in the air. It reminds me of the unfinished quality in some of Degas’ drawings, that sense of fleeting movement, of capturing something before it disappears. Art’s like that, always a conversation across time, a game of telephone with images and ideas.