Nuns
1804
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1804
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Nuns is a 1804 by Unknown, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see three young nuns in long habits, heads bowed, hands folded in prayer. The paper is mostly bare except for soft white chalk that catches the light on their faces and sleeves. This quiet sketch was made when France’s middle class started buying art for their homes. The artist left no name, so the drawing was likely meant for a quick exhibition—not a grand church wall. If you like these plain, everyday scenes, look up *france, 19th century* next.
In this drawing, a group of young nuns gather to pray. The unknown French artist used white chalk to delicately highlight the central figure with clasped hands. The work suggests the new style and subject matter that proliferated throughout France during the mid-19th century when an emerging middle-class audience became interested in collecting art and viewing it in exhibitions such as the Paris Salon.
This drawing’s anonymous artist used a combination of black and white chalk to create a dramatic pattern of highlights and shadows.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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