Palace of Great Prince Pavel Alexandrovich 

Albert Benois made this rendering of the Palace of Great Prince Pavel Alexandrovich using watercolor and ink, two media intimately associated with drawing and illustration. The choice of these materials is interesting, given the subject matter: an imposing palace, presumably made of stone and other durable substances. Benois’s rendering, by contrast, is delicate and highly detailed. Note the many windows and architectural details, all of which would have been made by skilled laborers, one element atop another. Benois has chosen a subtle palette, which gives the impression of a muted, softened environment. By choosing watercolor and ink, he draws attention to the contrast between the hard work required to build such a place, and the ephemeral quality of life itself. This tension between the built environment and the human one is crucial to understanding the social context of artworks, especially when they blur the boundaries between fine art and craft.