Putto met een fakkel leunend op een halve pilaar 1836 - 1912

Isaac Weissenbruch made this small drawing of a putto with a torch, leaning on a half-pillar, sometime in the 19th century. It’s made with pen and ink, a humble pairing of materials that allows for very fine detail. The image has an almost dreamlike quality. The use of pen and ink allows for a stark contrast between light and shadow, emphasizing the putto's languid pose, the sharp definition of the architectural fragment and the wild foliage around it. Look closely, and you’ll see the artist’s hand at work – the cross-hatching that gives volume to the figure, and the sinuous lines that define the vegetation. This wasn't a quick sketch, but a carefully considered composition, built up line by line. Weissenbruch seems to be reflecting on the nature of labor. A putto or cherub might be expected to be busy at some activity, but this one is thoroughly exhausted. The torch, a symbol of enlightenment or passion, lies neglected at his side. In that light, this unassuming drawing gives us a window into the artist’s world, and the long hours required to produce an image like this. It reminds us that even seemingly effortless works of art are the product of skilled labor.