Erechtheion 1890

Themistocles von Eckenbrecher made this drawing of the Erechtheion using graphite and gray wash on paper. The overall impression is one of careful observation, even reverence. And yet, think of what it takes to make a drawing like this. The artist would need to transport the materials to the site, set up an easel, and spend hours rendering the details of the architecture. This is labor, just as much as the original building of the Erechtheion was. Indeed, there's a kind of echo between the two. The ancient temple was a feat of collective effort, requiring quarrying, carving, and construction. Eckenbrecher's drawing is a solitary act, but it also depends on a whole chain of production: the graphite mine, the paper mill, the merchant who sold the supplies. In the end, both the temple and the drawing are testaments to human skill and industry, each in their own way. It is a reminder that all art is made, one way or another.