Portret van Jan de Beijer en Jurriaan Buttner 1740 - 1770

This drawing of Jan de Beijer and Jurriaan Buttner was made with pen in brown ink, likely in the 1700s, by an anonymous artist. The artist skillfully employs hatching to create tonal variations, building up areas of shadow and depth. Notice the concentration of lines that define the folds of clothing, the contours of their faces, and the textures of their wigs. There's an emphasis on the working hand, holding the tools of artistry. The linear quality is well-suited to the task of portraiture, capturing the likenesses with precision. The artist's hand moved with intention across the paper, layering strokes to build up the image. The emphasis on the artist's work invites us to consider the act of drawing as a craft, and how it mediates the identities of those portrayed. This intertwining of process and subject challenges conventional notions of what constitutes ‘high art’.