Sketches with a Hooded Figure (Virgil and Beatrice?)

John Flaxman

1790

graphite

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism 18th Century lamentation of christ

About this work

This drawing shows a hooded figure and another person, possibly from a story. They're drawn in simple lines. The artist used graphite on paper to create this sketch. The details are rough, but you can tell the artist was thinking about the characters. It looks like a practice sketch, not a finished piece. To learn more about this style, look into the technique of chiaroscuro.