Study of a Plaster Cast (a la bosse)
1806
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1806
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This painting depicts a plaster cast of a woman's head and shoulders, facing left. The cast is rendered in a light color, with darker shadows accentuating the contours of her face and hair. Her hair is styled in an updo, with loose strands framing her face. The background of the painting is a dark, muted color, which serves to highlight the cast's features. The overall effect is one of subtle, nuanced modeling, with the artist using gentle gradations of tone to suggest the cast's three-dimensional form. For more works that explore the interplay of light and shadow, consider the technique of chiaroscuro.
