St. John the Evangelist

1701

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a man with long hair and a book, floating on a cloud against a stormy sky. This is a practice sketch for a big church painting in Paris. The artist drew it over and over, tweaking the pose each time. Look at the quick, confident lines—he knew exactly what he wanted. For more like this, check out the work of Charles de La Fosse (French, 1636–1716).