Monkey on a Branch, August Allebé, 1879

black chalk, h 227mm × w 149mm More details

More than anybody else, August Allebé succeeded in capturing the character of the animals he drew. In this drawing he aptly conveyed the monkey’s skittish movement and wary expression. The little animal held this pose for only a few seconds; yet this was enough time for the artist to get the first lines down on paper and to draw the rest from memory.