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Phryne before Her Judges
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Known in his own time for large-scale paintings on historical subjects, Jacques-Louis David drew avidly to plan his compositions. Late in life, however, his use of drawing changed dramatically, resulting in works such as this pair. After falling out of political favor during the French Revolution (1789–99), David moved to Brussels in exile. There, he crafted small, enigmatic drawings of close-up figures. <em>Phryne</em> features a mythological courtesan charged with blasphemy, while <em>The Prisoner</em> is vaguer, with an unidentifiable man grimacing alongside a chain and oil lamp. David embraced this uncertainty, writing at the time that “I just threw down . . . the mad ideas that came into my head.”
| Artist / Maker | Jacques-Louis David |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1816–20 |
| Culture / Origin | France, 19th century |
| Medium | black chalk on wove paper discolored to beige |
| Dimensions | Sheet: 13.3 x 19.6 cm (5 1/4 x 7 11/16 in.) |
| Department | Drawings |
| Type | Drawing |
About the Artist
The founder and leading painter of the neoclassical movement in France, Jacques-Louis David was born in Paris to a prosperous family of artists and archi-tects. In 1766 he entered the Académie Royale as the pupil of Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809). After several failed attempts, David won the Prix de Rome in 1774. The following year he left for Italy, where he studied antique art and envisioned replacing the frivolity of the rococo with an art of grandeur, simplicity, and moral virtue.… Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
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