Study of an Elderly Woman for "Disobedience Discovered"

James Ward

1797

chalk

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism 18th Century

About this work

This sketch shows an old woman in profile, her face lined with deep wrinkles. Her eyes look tired, her mouth set. The artist used chalk and gray wash on a blue-green paper. White highlights bring her features forward. The marks are loose but precise. You feel her age in every line. No fancy colors—just chalk and wash. It’s a study, not a finished painting. Try the drawing by Ward, James.