Hammer and Compass
1890
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1890
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Hammer and Compass is a 1890 ink by James Henry Moser, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a black square with a hammer and compass inside it. The hammer and compass are tangled in vines or ropes, with one vine stretching out to the right like a wing. The background is plain, and the whole thing looks like it’s sketched with quick, dark lines. The hammer and compass are tools often linked to craftsmanship or stonemasonry. The messy vines might be a twist on how these tools are usually shown—clean and precise. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists use lines like these to create shading.
