Artwork

Tracing of a Border Design

Tracing of a Border Design, by Charles Sprague Pearce, graphite, 1894
Tracing of a Border Design, by Charles Sprague Pearce, graphite, 1894

Tracing of a Border Design is a graphite drawing by the Impressionist artist Charles Sprague Pearce. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

“Tracing of a Border Design” is a drawing executed in 1894 by American artist Charles Sprague Pearce. Rendered on yellow tracing paper, the work combines graphite with accents of purple and green pencil, presenting a delicate study of ornamental line work.

Technique & Style

Pearce employed the translucency of tracing paper to explore the interplay of line and color. Graphite provides the structural framework of the border, while the purple and green pencils introduce subtle tonal variations, highlighting the artist’s interest in decorative motifs and the material qualities of drawing media.

Artist & collection

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.