At the Foot of the Cross (Au pied de la croix) 

Alphonse Legros created this drawing, At the Foot of the Cross, with graphite on paper. Legros used a very subtle yet laborious drawing technique here, carefully and deliberately using delicate and controlled marks, hatching, and cross-hatching to build up the image. The woman’s dress and the planks of the cross are carefully rendered with subtle gradations, giving these forms a soft, almost ethereal quality. The extensive use of hatching and cross-hatching emphasizes the texture of the wooden cross and the simple clothes, highlighting the poverty and hardship of the woman's life, while also pointing towards an immense amount of work involved in the making of the image. This work invites us to think about how artistic skill and the labor of creation can elevate everyday subjects to the level of profound emotional expression, while also being critical of social issues.