1790
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Four Seated Figures is a 1790 ink by John Flaxman, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows four simple, blocky figures sitting in a row. Their heads are round, their arms and legs are straight lines, and their bodies look like rough outlines. The lines are thin but confident, with some shading to show folds in clothing. The drawing feels more like quick notes than a finished picture—almost like a doodle turned into art. The figures are all the same size, even though one is sitting higher than the others, which makes the scene feel balanced but odd. If you like this style, look up cross-hatching to see how artists build shadows with lines.
John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was an English sculptor and draughtsman who was a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism.
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