Standing Male Figure; Study for a Portrait 1670 - 1680

Bartolomé Estebán Murillo made this study for a portrait using pen and ink, likely in preparation for a larger painting. It's a quick sketch, a working drawing rather than a finished piece. You can see the artist mapping out the figure's stance and the fall of light with brisk, economical lines. Notice how the ink bleeds slightly into the paper, a quality that lends the sketch a sense of immediacy. The material itself – humble paper and ink – speaks to the working-class nature of drawing at the time. It was a means to an end, a way for the artist to resolve compositional issues before committing to the more laborious and expensive medium of oil paint. But even in this preliminary sketch, Murillo's skill shines through. He captures the essence of his subject with remarkable efficiency. This speaks to the intense labor required to master drawing, a discipline that, like many crafts, was often undervalued in its time. The drawing asks us to consider the full range of creative labor, not just the polished final product.