Dibujo. Alegoría De La Atención 1842

Rosario Weiss Zorrilla created "Dibujo. Alegoría De La Atención" using graphite, a material as ordinary as it is elemental. Graphite pencils allowed for a remarkable tonal range, creating soft shadows that gave form to the young woman's face, and quick dark strokes that created textures in the background and in the subject's clothing. But these techniques were academic, associated with the rise of drawing as both preparatory for painting and a fine art in its own right. Drawing was a fundamental skill, especially for women artists of Weiss's era, whose access to other forms of artistic training was often limited. We see a highly skilled artist, but also the social circumstances that shaped her creative practice. The close observation and deft execution seen here are a testament to the artistic and intellectual labour that went into this drawing, as well as the social conditions that shaped her practice. By looking closely at the materials and making of this drawing, we can better appreciate the artist's skill, and the world in which she worked.