Nude of a boy 

This drawing of a nude boy was made by Annibale Carracci, likely sometime in the late 16th century, with red chalk on paper. Chalk is a relatively direct medium, allowing for nuanced tonal gradations and a tangible sense of the artist’s hand. Look closely and you’ll see how Carracci built up the figure through layers of hatching, cross-hatching. Notice how the material lends itself to a soft, almost fleshy quality, perfectly suited to capturing the contours of the body. Although we might see this simply as a sketch, it embodies considerable labor – a testament to Carracci's training, which would have involved countless hours practicing anatomical drawing. In its own way, it’s as much a product of skilled work as any object made in metal or clay. And of course, the artist is dependent on the labourers who mined and processed the chalk itself. Appreciating such drawings reminds us that making is a skill that bridges all creative fields.