Study for Penelope

c. 1806

Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier

(French, 1743–1824)

Culture

France, 19th century

Medium

black chalk heightened with white chalk, with stumping, squared in graphite

Support

Medium light brown laid paper

Measurements

Sheet: 36.8 x 20.7 cm (14 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1996.286

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Location

Not on view

Description

This drawing depicts the figure of Penelope, featured in a painting by Lemonnier exhibited in the Salon of 1806, The Departure of Ulysses and Penelope for Ithaca (now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen). Essentially a drapery study of the high-waisted dress worn by the figure in the painting, it corresponds to the final work. The artist focused mostly on the play of light and shadow, varying the pressure of the chalk strokes and using a stump to smudge the chalk in order to produce a variety of tonal effects. The idealized face of the figure recalls classical sculpture and reflects the artist's academic training as well as the style of figural representation favored by the artists of Jacques-Louis David's generation.