AMAZING FACTS
DID YOU KNOW......
The first charcoal drawings were done between 28,000 and 23,000 year B.C.E.!!! Found in the Apollo caves in Namibia, this image of a zebra is one of the first known works of art.
During the renaissance, Charcoal was widely used, but few works of art survived due to charcoal particles flaking off the canvas. At the end of the 15th century, a process of submerging the drawings in a gum bath was implemented to prevent the charcoal from flaking off.
Works by Michelangelo (above) and del Verrocchio (right)
Many cultures have utilized charcoal for art, camouflage, and in rites of passage. Many indigenous people from Australia, parts of Africa, Pacific Islands, parts of Asia, and others still practice body painting for rites of passage including child birth, weddings, spiritual rituals, war, hunting, and funerary rites.
Have you ever heard of kinetic drawing?
Artist Heather Hansen uses charcoal, and the movements of her body to create giant drawings.