Artwork Page for Head of a Female Figure in Profile, Turned to the Right

Details / Information for Head of a Female Figure in Profile, Turned to the Right

Head of a Female Figure in Profile, Turned to the Right

c. 1763–1770?

Hughes Taraval

(French, 1729–1785)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
charcoal with red and white chalk and stumping
Support
Light gray laid paper (possibly faded from blue), laid down on beige laid paper, framing lines in brown ink
Measurements
Sheet: 37.4 x 26.2 cm (14 3/4 x 10 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2008.363
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

Like the sheet shown nearby by Greuze, this drawing belongs to a type of work known as an expressive head (tête d'expression). Capturing the representation of a specific emotion on the human face became a standard exercise for artists in France and was especially popular during the second half of the 1700s. In 1758, a special prize for drawing the expressive head was established at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Although we have no documentation regarding the specific emotion Taraval wanted to capture here, the work may represent admiration or adoration.
A vertically oriented charcoal and red chalk drawing on gray paper depicts a woman in profile. Facing right, her head tilts upward with an elongated neck and gaze. Wispy hair is gathered back, while red chalk accents her parted lips and cheeks. Thin, dark lines define her features against a background of layered, streaking shades. She wears a rounded-neck garment. A script signature appears on the right, completing this ethereal, soft-textured portrait.

Head of a Female Figure in Profile, Turned to the Right

c. 1763–1770?

Hughes Taraval

(French, 1729–1785)
France, 18th century

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