Portrait of the Artist’s Son, Raphael 1839

Benjamin West made this drawing of his son Raphael with graphite on paper. What's interesting is how West builds up tone and form through layering and hatching. Look closely and you can see the individual strokes of the graphite pencil, massed together to create areas of light and shadow. Graphite, being a relatively soft material, allows for a wide range of tonal variation, from light gray to almost black, depending on the pressure applied. West exploits this quality to create a sense of depth and volume in the portrait. You see it in the soft curls of Raphael’s hair, the delicate folds of his clothing, and the subtle contours of his face. Drawing is often seen as a preliminary step in the artistic process, a way of working out ideas before committing them to a more permanent medium like paint or sculpture. But here, the drawing stands on its own as a finished work of art, showcasing the artist's skill and sensitivity to the nuances of light and shadow. West elevates the medium of drawing to a level of sophistication and expressiveness that challenges traditional hierarchies of art.