Artwork Page for Three Figures

Details / Information for Three Figures

Three Figures

18th century

Pierre-Jacques Volaire

(French, 1729–1802)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
black and white chalk on blue-gray prepared paper
Measurements
Sheet: 26.3 x 21 cm (10 3/8 x 8 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2018.48
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Volaire’s sketch of two women with a child is an example of the numerous figure studies he executed on blue-gray prepared paper with black and white chalk. This drawing likely did not relate to a later painting, but instead seems to have been produced as a visual record of the artist’s creative experimentation.
A vertically oriented black and white chalk drawing on blue-gray paper depicts three figures loosely outlined and shaded by diagonal streaks. Centrally, a woman in a long shawl holds the hand of a small child on our left. To her right, another woman stands further back holding a woven basket. White highlights accentuate their garments and facial features, creating volume against the cool, predominantly dark-toned paper.

Three Figures

18th century

Pierre-Jacques Volaire

(French, 1729–1802)
France, 18th century

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