1895
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Etude is a 1895 ink by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a person kneeling, hands clasped in front of them, wrapped in a loose robe. Their head is bowed slightly, and the lines are quick and rough, like a hasty drawing. The paper is plain, with no background details—just the figure and a few faint strokes for the robe’s folds. The artist used a simple gray tone, almost like a pencil sketch, but it’s actually a printed lithograph. The lines feel urgent, like they were drawn fast to capture a moment. Next, check out lithography to see how this printing method works.
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (French pronunciation: ; 14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France".
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