Artwork Page for Sketches of Heads (verso, left); Two Women (verso, right)

Details / Information for Sketches of Heads (verso, left); Two Women (verso, right)

Sketches of Heads (verso, left); Two Women (verso, right)

c. 1770–75

John Brown

(British, 1752–1787)
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Culture
England, 18th century
Medium
left: graphite; right: gray and black wash with point of brush and graphite
Measurements
Sheet: 25.7 x 18.6 cm (10 1/8 x 7 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1969.28.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

John Brown meant for the dark background of this drawing to evoke the potential danger of Italian nights; the writer Johann Joachim Winckelmann had been murdered in Trieste in 1768, in the most conspicuous example of the period's widespread violence.

Description

John Brown is known for a small group of monochromatic drawings imbued with sinister overtones. At the age of 20, the Scottish artist traveled to Italy where he spent the next 12 years. This drawing exemplifies his Roman street scenes which often depict women dressed in spectacular, billowing costumes. Here, a figure with bare ankles and plunging décolletage is surrounded by a crowd of men who leer at her. The reverse of the sketchbook sheet includes two independent drawings: a study of faces in fierce and intense expressions, and a pair of women wearing swirling gowns. One figure raises her hand in a mysterious gesture, either beckoning or forewarning the viewer.
A vertically oriented sheet features two compositions in graphite and gray wash. On the left, multiple sketches show heads in profile and three-quarter view, some with furrowed brows and elaborate hair. On the right, two women in voluminous gowns and tall headpieces stand against a dark background. The woman on our left raises a hand to her face, while the other woman stands beside her, their features defined by delicate gray washes.

Sketches of Heads (verso, left); Two Women (verso, right)

c. 1770–75

John Brown

(British, 1752–1787)
England, 18th century

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