Mucha’s drawings can be grouped into three broad categories: sketches made from life that record or study his subjects; meticulous pencil studies often mixed with ink or other media for use in book illustrations, posters, paintings or other works; free and expressive pastels and charcoal drawings. Together they reveal the remarkable breadth of his technical and creative mastery and expose his underlying thinking process. Considering the subordinate role of drawing at the time, Mucha’s highly refined studies are noteworthy; they often look like finished, independent works of art in their own right. In sharp contrast, Mucha’s pastels offer an outburst of raw feeling expressed with quick and spontaneous movement.