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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
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