1790
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Reclining Man; Two Women is a 1790 chalk by John Flaxman, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two parts: a seated man in the bottom half, facing away, with loose, flowing clothes. Above him, two women sit on a couch, one with a fan, the other turned slightly. The lines are soft and smudged, with patches of white chalk making some details pop. The paper looks worn, like it’s been handled a lot. The artist used different marks—some areas are filled with tiny parallel lines, while others are just smudged shadows. Next, check out scumbling to see how artists create soft, blended effects like this.
John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was an English sculptor and draughtsman who was a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism.
See the richer artist page
![Study of the "Ecorché" [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/1614b86d796e004d/thumb.webp)
