Artwork Page for Figure Studies (verso)

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Figure Studies (verso)

c. 1761

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

(French, 1732–1806)
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Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
black chalk
Measurements
Sheet: 28.9 x 22.7 cm (11 3/8 x 8 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle 2009.152.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Quick drawings could serve a variety of purposes, and it is not always clear today why an artist created a particular sketch. This one may record a painting Fragonard saw during a journey to Italy, or capture an idea he was considering for a painting of his own. Orpheus, identified by the lute, grasps for his love Eurydice as she is pulled down into Hades. The snarling animals near his feet may represent Cerberus, the multiheaded guard dog of the underworld.
A vertically oriented black chalk drawing on beige paper depicts a muscular man with a light skin tone standing at our left, head bowed and arm extended. To our right, various sketches overlap, including a large face with an open mouth and furrowed brow in the upper right. Hatched lines define dense anatomical shadows, while sketchy, hazy outlines of other figures populate the background, creating a layered composition where forms escape their contours.

Figure Studies (verso)

c. 1761

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

(French, 1732–1806)
France, 18th century

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