Drengehoved 1810 - 1873

Wilhelm Marstrand made this drawing, Drengehoved, using graphite on paper. Here, the artist's control over the graphite pencil defines the overall aesthetic, where the varying degrees of pressure and density create subtle tonal variations that define the boy's features. Drawing, especially in the 19th century, served as a foundational skill for artists, architects, and designers, with its own set of traditions, techniques, and aesthetics. Consider the labor and skill required to achieve such subtle gradations of tone and texture with a seemingly simple tool. These kinds of skills took years to master. Marstrand was working at a time when the art world was just starting to think about industrialisation and photography, new processes that inevitably changed the definition of art itself. Appreciating drawings like these, and the amount of work that went into their making, prompts us to reflect on what we value in art.