Portrait of an Officer c. 1822

Louis Léopold Boilly created this drawing of an officer using graphite, likely in France. It is rendered in a dry medium and the way the graphite sits on the paper gives the image a soft and diffused quality. You can almost feel the texture of the paper, as if it would be absorbent to the touch. The artist used careful strokes to build up tone and volume, particularly in the face and hair. Notice how he uses hatching and cross-hatching to create shadows and depth, adding to the overall sense of realism and texture. The work is relatively small. The labor of producing such a fine drawing would have been significant, and its intimate scale speaks to its function, probably intended as a personal memento. Graphite is an unassuming material, yet in Boilly’s hands, it becomes a tool for capturing not just a likeness, but the very presence of his sitter. It reminds us that the value of art lies not only in the subject, but in the skill and care of its making.