Figure Studies
George Romney
1775–1800
- Medium
- Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, over graphite (recto), and graphite (verso), on cream laid paper
- Dimensions
- 12 × 18.6 cm (4 3/4 × 7 3/8 in.)
- Genre
- pen and ink drawings
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
drawings (visual works)graphiteinkpen and ink drawingswashprints and drawingpaper (fiber product)
About
This sheet of studies was removed from a sketchbook and shows the influence of ancient Roman sculptural reliefs. The two multi-figured scenes depict some form of ritual or sacrifice, the nature of which has not been convincingly identified. The large female figure on the left is a motif George Romney used numerous times in his society portraits, in which his subject is posed outdoors leaning on a plinth in classical dress.The vibrancy, immediacy, and rapid-fire execution of the drawing suggest that it was made after Romney’s two-year stay in Italy (1773–75).
