The Luncheon on the Grass c. 1865

Claude Monet created this pencil sketch, "The Luncheon on the Grass" using graphite on paper. The very nature of pencil on paper lends itself to a sense of immediacy and intimacy. Look closely, and you'll notice how the graphite, smudged and layered, captures the fleeting quality of light filtering through the trees. This is not just a depiction of a scene, but an exploration of light and form. Monet, known for his radical approach to painting, uses the humble pencil not to create a finished work, but to record a moment, a fleeting impression. The sketch embodies the ethos of Impressionism, where the act of seeing and recording is as important as the subject itself. It also represents the enormous amount of work and study that is involved in creating art. This work invites us to reconsider the value we place on finished versus unfinished art, challenging the conventional hierarchy between sketch and painting.