Artwork Page for St. John the Evangelist

Details / Information for St. John the Evangelist

St. John the Evangelist

c. 1700–1702

Charles de La Fosse

(French, 1636–1716)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
black, red, and white chalk
Support
Beige(1) laid paper
Measurements
Sheet: 42 x 26.2 cm (16 9/16 x 10 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Alida di Nardo in memory of her husband, Antonio di Nardo 1956.602
Catalogue raisonné
Gustin-Gomez D.24
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

This drawing was used primarily used by La Fosse to study the drapery that covers St. John's body. A nude drawing of the same figure is in Le Havre, France.

Description

This drawing is a study for a fresco in the Parisian church of Les Invalides. The structure's four pendentives are each decorated with images of the Four Evangelists, and the Cleveland sheet relates to the design for St. John. La Fosse developed his ideas in numerous preparatory studies before beginning the final painting. He portrayed the religious figures with power and exuberance, imbuing his decorative scheme with unprecedented vigor. Drawings by La Fosse are difficult to find in the United States, and this sheet is an exceptional example of the artist's trois crayons (three-chalk) technique of using black, red, and white chalk together. The chalks are subtly blended, creating the effect of billowing drapery rather than stiff linearity.
A vertically oriented black and red chalk drawing on tan paper depicts Saint John the Evangelist, a man with light skin tone. Tilting his head back to look upward, his right arm reaches toward our upper left while his left extends outward. He wears voluminous, heavily folded robes. Energetic red and black hatching streaks across the figure, creating deep shadows from which his dynamic form emerges against the lightness of the paper.

St. John the Evangelist

c. 1700–1702

Charles de La Fosse

(French, 1636–1716)
France, 18th century

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