Sketch of a foot II 1983

Edwin Austin Abbey made this Sketch of a Foot II, with what looks like charcoal and chalk, probably on toned paper. What strikes me is the directness, how the marks lay bare the process. The smudged shadows give way to crisp, deliberate lines defining the toes, like a sculptor carving into stone. You can almost feel the artist circling the form, searching for the right contours, building the foot from the ground up. Look at the heel, barely suggested with loose strokes, versus the big toe, rendered with a surprising amount of detail. That contrast gives the sketch a dynamic energy, pulling your eye around the composition. It reminds me a little of Degas’ drawings. Both artists capture movement and form with such economy. It’s like they’re not just depicting a foot but exploring the very act of seeing, of translating a three-dimensional object onto a flat surface. For me, it’s these kinds of intimate sketches that really reveal an artist’s way of thinking.