Paulus slaat de tovenaar Elymas met blindheid 1698

Bernard Picart made this drawing, "Paulus slaat de tovenaar Elymas met blindheid," sometime around 1695, using pen and grey ink, with brush in grey wash, on paper. The most remarkable aspect of this drawing is the artist's mastery of line and tone. Look closely at the way he renders light and shadow. Picart skillfully uses hatching and cross-hatching to create a sense of depth and volume. But this isn't just an aesthetic choice. It speaks to the labor-intensive process of creating such a detailed image by hand. In a world before photography, drawings like this were essential for disseminating information. They were the raw material for printed books and engravings. In that context, Picart's virtuosity represents a kind of intellectual capital, an investment in the power of visual communication. It shows how the hand of the artist was deeply implicated in the social and cultural life of the time. So, next time you look at a drawing, remember the work that went into it, and the world it helped to create.