Sheet of Sketches 1793

This sheet of sketches was made by John Flaxman, likely in the late 18th or early 19th century, using pen and ink on paper. The immediacy of the medium is key here. We see Flaxman thinking through his ideas, the pen strokes capturing figures and scenes with remarkable economy. The thin lines, achieved with a delicate nib, create a sense of movement and lightness. The blue-tinted paper adds an ethereal quality, enhancing the dreamlike nature of the scenes depicted. Flaxman was deeply engaged with classical literature, and it's fair to assume these sketches relate to such themes, from a royal court with soldier to what looks like a descent from heaven. But what’s interesting to me is the work that went into the process of figuring it all out. By focusing on the materiality and the hand of the artist, we can see that even seemingly simple sketches are the result of considerable skill and thought. They are not just preliminary studies, but important works of art in their own right.