Dorp aan een waterkant c. 1811

Andreas Schelfhout made this drawing of a village on a waterfront with graphite on paper. You can really see how Schelfhout used the qualities of graphite to his advantage in this work. The subtle shifts in tone he achieved by layering strokes, almost like weaving, to produce a range of lights and darks are amazing. Looking closely, you can see that the varying directions of the marks create a sense of texture to the buildings and foliage. This kind of meticulous mark-making is labor-intensive, but it reflects a shift in artistic practices. As industrialization ramped up, handmade works took on new meaning, embodying a different kind of value tied to the artist's skill and time. Drawings like this remind us that even simple materials can carry complex social and aesthetic significance. It challenges us to reconsider how we value skill, labor, and artistic expression in a rapidly changing world.