Victor Hugo’s delicate pen-and-ink sketches radiate charm. They draw you in, demanding closer attention. It is not so much the quality of the draftsmanship although the quality is good enough. Their appeal lies in their composition. Produced in private by this remarkably creative man, there are over 4,000 precious drawings in archives around the world. Terrifyingly fragile, these works on paper are shown rarely. They were last exhibited in London in 1974. Now, through June 29, 70 selected works on paper will be on view at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. Sketching was part of Hugo’s world; he’d studied it every day at school and continued the practice throughout his life. Sarah Lea, the show’s curator, believes that this was where Hugo went to escape—to find expression without words. —Sarah Hyde