Lento sfumato 2019

Lech Jankowski made "Lento sfumato" as a pencil drawing on paper. The artwork explores a traditional artistic medium, but it is the application of graphite that is compelling. The artist uses the pencil in a distinctive manner, almost as if he’s creating a rubbing or frottage. The artist builds up the image through layers of marks that create gradients of tone, using the side of the pencil lead to produce a soft, blurred effect; 'sfumato' is after all an Italian word for 'smoky'. The marks are rhythmic, implying slow and repetitive motion, and you can imagine the labour involved in creating this image, built up from countless strokes. Yet the drawing remains airy and light. By considering the processes and materials, we begin to see the immense skill and time involved in creating the artwork. This challenges any divide between 'high art' and more commonplace applications of drawing.