1769
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Allegorical Frame with a Genius and a Veiled Woman Writing is a 1769 chalk by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a round frame with a blank center, like an empty window. Around it, a rocky landscape with two figures: one hunched over, holding a feather quill, and another with a veil over their head. The lines are rough and scratchy, like quick pencil strokes. The empty circle might stand for something missing or waiting to be filled. The artist used only black chalk, pressing hard in some spots to make shadows. Look up chiaroscuro next to see how artists use light and dark like this.
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin was a French draftsman, printmaker, etcher and painter.
See the richer artist page
