Twee mannen, zittend bij een schouw

This small drawing by Simon Andreas Krausz, made sometime before 1825, shows two men sitting by a fireplace, conjured with graphite on paper. The artist’s hand is immediately evident. There’s no attempt to disguise the quick, searching quality of the line. The texture of the paper itself is visually important, giving a toothy backdrop to the figures. Note how the minimal materials concentrate our attention on the men themselves. One seems to be working with his hands, perhaps mending something. This drawing embodies labor, not only by depicting working men, but by evidencing the labor required to produce an image. Krausz was part of a larger shift toward direct, unpretentious observation. Drawings like this challenge any high-minded distinction between art and craft. Here, the act of recording everyday life becomes the artwork itself.