A couple merrymaking in a tavern 1725 - 1780

Charles Collet created this drawing of a couple in a tavern sometime in the mid-18th century. It’s made on paper with graphite or black chalk, materials that are humble but capable of great expressivity. Look at the way Collet uses the chalk to suggest form and texture with loose hatched marks. Notice that the artist’s lines are rough and ready, far from the slick polish of academic painting. This is a study, not a finished picture, and it’s full of implied possibilities. The scene depicts leisure – a man and woman enjoying a drink. Their clothing suggests they belong to the working classes. The setting might have been sketched directly from life. The drawing gives us a sense of everyday realities during the Enlightenment, a perspective often overlooked in grand historical narratives. It’s a reminder that art doesn't need to be made of precious materials to be valuable. Sometimes, the most insightful observations come from the simplest means.