Young Girl at the Keyboard
1767
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1767
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Young Girl at the Keyboard is a 1767 chalk by Jacobus Buys, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a woman in two views: her face looking down, then her hands playing a small keyboard. The lines are loose and quick, like a first draft. The top half is lighter, almost erased, while the bottom half holds more detail—her fingers on the keys, the folds of her dress. The artist used a mix of chalk and red ink, giving it a rough, sketchy feel. The paper looks old, with holes along the edges. Next, check out the technique: cross-hatching to see how artists build shadows with lines.
![Studies of a Woman and Her Dress [verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/abf8075589814203/thumb.webp)
