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THE BODY112
Choreographs
T I M E IS A SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT i n t h e m a k i n g o f all d r a w i n g s . velvet darkness. Below, in a perfect example, it is as if
the very atoms of air are made visible, agreeing to coalesce
Here, we compare a skillful design that absorbed much time and show us the form of a waiting boy, who sits propped
in its making with the quickness of an idea marked instantly. in the contradictory darkness of a hot summer's day.
In his famous paintings of social engagement, Seurat Opposite, Beuys's magician, scratched in seconds, stands
evolved a distinctive technique called pointillism—images in counterpoise holding a dark globe and his thoughts in
literally made from myriad points of color. His drawings are momentary balance. The space around him chatters with
similarly u n i q u e . Typically, he used b l a c k c o n t e (see p. 162) symbols, like small birds attendant on the meditation.
and an eraser to model teeming points of artificial light amid
GEORGES SEURAT Tone and light In this black conte drawing, there are no Seated Boy with a Straw Hat
French painter classically educated in the Ingres outlines, only tones blending into, or abruptly meeting, other 1883-84
school of thought. Seurat engaged in lifelong studies tones. Light is given by the paper alone. If Seurat had added
of line, form, and color His applied theories still white, it would have mixed with unseen black dust, turned 91/2 x 121/4 in (241 x 312 m m
influence painters in their manipulation and rendering gray, and muddied the brilliance of the drawing. Using the
of local, reflected, and complementary hues. paper to create light is important for beginners to learn. GEORGES SEURAT

