Head of a Bearded Man 1500 - 1550

This Head of a Bearded Man was created by an anonymous artist, using pen and brown ink, with brown and red wash, over traces of black chalk. The way that the ink interacts with the paper is crucial here. You can see it feathering out, especially in the hair, which gives the drawing a certain softness. This is because the paper is absorbent. And the artist seems to have used that property to their advantage, creating depth and shadow with the wash. Think about the process. The artist would have had to carefully control the flow of the ink and wash, building up layers to create the final image. It's a very tactile process, and one that requires a great deal of skill. And in the end, the drawing is as much about the materials and process as it is about the subject matter. It really shows how an artist engages with materials to bring a vision to life.