1823
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Lithographic Sketches by Charlet: Form before Color is a 1823 by Nicolas Toussaint Charlet, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This sketch shows two men in a dim, cluttered room. One stands with arms raised, wearing a hat and loose clothes. The other leans on a pillar, holding a sign that reads *"À la Belle Epoque"* and pointing upward. Both look animated, like they’re in the middle of a conversation or performance. The background has a window with a cage and some shelves, giving the space a lived-in, slightly messy feel. The title at the bottom, *"La Forme avant la Couleur?"* (Shape before Color?), hints this might be about how artists think about line and form first. The rough, sketchy lines suggest it’s a quick study, not a finished painting. If you like this style, check out Romanticism next.
Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet was a French painter and printmaker, more especially of military subjects.
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