Reclining Female Nude 

William Bouguereau made this sketch of a reclining female nude, likely in the 19th century, using graphite on paper. At first glance, the drawing looks traditional, perhaps even academic. But look closer at the material: graphite, a humble form of carbon, akin to coal. Bouguereau coaxes a remarkable range of tonalities from it, but the very accessibility of graphite as a medium democratizes the image. Consider too the status of drawing itself. It’s not a painting or a sculpture, destined for display; it is a study. We see the artist working through the figure, trying out different poses, and honing his understanding of anatomy. In a sense, Bouguereau’s drawing is “pre-capitalist” – a direct translation of observation to paper. Yet, it also embodies a work ethic, an ideology of labor, which was very much ascendant during his lifetime. The rapid, repeated marks of graphite reflect the labor required to produce this art. This drawing encourages us to appreciate not just the final image, but the process of creation.