Adonis
1811
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1811
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Adonis is a 1811 chalk by Pierre Paul Prud'hon, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a bare-chested man leaning against a rough rock wall. His left arm rests on his hip, while his right hand holds a cloth draped over his shoulder. The paper is blue, and the drawing uses quick, sketchy lines with some white chalk to highlight his skin and the folds of the cloth. The artist left parts of the drawing unfinished, like the face and the rock’s details. This gives it a rough, almost hurried feel, like a quick study. Next, check out chiaroscuro to see how light and shadow create drama in drawings.
