Two swearing 1912

Ferdinand Hodler made this drawing, "Two Swearing," using pencil on paper. The stark, pared-down quality of the line belies the physical effort that went into making it. Hodler has sketched quickly, yet confidently, suggesting musculature and form with only a few strokes. The inherent qualities of the pencil as a medium—its grittiness and potential for smudging—have been harnessed to create texture and depth, particularly in the figures' limbs and clothing. The act of drawing itself, especially a sketch like this one, might seem far removed from the world of labor and industry, yet the materials themselves are products of industrial processes: graphite mined, wood milled, paper pulped. Hodler is engaging with a material born of industrialization to depict a scene—"swearing"—that could imply defiance against social or political order. In focusing on materials and making, we recognize the artwork's connection to wider social issues, and challenge the traditional separation of fine art from the world of craft and production.