Salzburg vom Kapuzinerberg aus gesehen 3 - 1835

Ludwig Daniel Philipp Schmidt made this pencil drawing, ‘Salzburg vom Kapuzinerberg aus gesehen’, using graphite on paper. Pencil drawing is often seen as preliminary, a lesser art than painting or sculpture. Yet here, Schmidt finds great detail in the graphite, achieving an impressive sense of depth with a few simple tools. Notice how the density of the graphite lines varies, from the dark foreground to the hazy mountains. The subtle gradations of tone give the image a remarkable atmospheric quality. Drawing, of course, has a long history as a medium of observation and documentation. It is the basis of industrial and architectural design, as well as botanical illustration and other scientific endeavors. With its portability, economy, and capacity for precision, pencil offered artists a means to capture the world around them. Schmidt used this method to explore the social landscape, and invites us to consider drawing as more than just a preparatory exercise.