Hercules on the Stake 1712 - 1765

Johann Heinrich Keller made this drawing, Hercules on the Stake, using pen and brown ink with gray wash on paper. Hercules’s agony is made palpable through Keller’s confident handling of the materials. With swift strokes, he delineates the hero’s muscular physique. Note the way Keller applied the gray wash, building up shadows that both model the figures and evoke the drama of the scene. The wash creates depth and volume, emphasizing the weight and solidity of Hercules's body. It’s a good example of how subtle variations in tone can suggest textures and emotions. The layered effect also conveys the fraught emotional atmosphere of the scene. Pen and ink drawings like this were relatively quick and portable to produce, fitting the burgeoning market for art among the rising middle class. This directness of handling gives the scene a sense of immediacy, as if we are witnessing a private moment of suffering and transformation.