Getty Museum
The Invention of Drawing (recto); Sketch of Lower Leg Bones of Human Skeleton (verso)
Creator
Joseph-Benoît SuvéeBelgian Artist · 1743–1807
All works by this person →At age eight Joseph-Benoît Suvée began studying at the Royal Academy of Bruges. After winning multiple first prizes, he left for Paris in 1763 and enrolled at the Académie Royale the following year. He won the Prix de Rome in 1771, triumphing over Jacques-Louis David, who complained that Suvée used connections, a charge that may have been true. In Rome from 1772 to 1778, Suvée made chalk drawings
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1791
- Medium
- Black and white chalk (recto); graphite (verso), on brown paper
- Culture
- Belgian
- Department
- Drawings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
During an illicit rendezvous with her lover, the Corinthian maiden Dibutade decided to trace his silhouette on the wall of her father's studio. Joseph-Benoit Suvée rendered this legend of the invention of drawing in his typically polished drawing technique. Dramatic chiaroscuro lighting enhances the theatricality of the scene. The light from a single flame throws large shadows of the lovers' heads onto the wall behind them and creates dark areas under arms and chins, all of which serves to focus attention on their half-lit faces. The same light also highlights the variegated whites on the gathers of Dibutade's toga and the shine of her skin. These carefully observed and skillfully rendered nuances give Suvée's drawing a lively quality. Scholars believe that Suvée made this drawing as a replica of a similar painting rather than as a preparatory study.
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