Artwork

Musician and Dancing Figures

Musician and Dancing Figures, by Donato Creti, ink, 1710
Musician and Dancing Figures, by Donato Creti, ink, 1710

Musician and Dancing Figures is an ink drawing by the Baroque artist Donato Creti. It dates from 1710 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Donato Creti's 'Musician and Dancing Figures' is a drawing created in 1710 using pen, brown ink, and wash on laid paper. It depicts four nude figures in dynamic poses.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing shows two dancing women and two men, one playing a musical instrument and the other holding an unidentified curved object. The figures' lively poses suggest a study of movement and music.

Technique & Style

Creti's use of quick, loose lines and brown ink with faint washes gives the drawing a soft, expressive quality. The style reflects his academic approach, characterized by crisp figure modeling, within the broader context of the Rococo period.

Context

This drawing was likely a workshop exercise, used to practice capturing movement and musical themes. Creti's work, while contemporaneous with the Rococo, is distinguished by its more formal and less decorative tendencies.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Donato Creti

Artist

Donato Creti

Donato Creti (24 February 1671 – 31 January 1749) was an Italian painter of the Rococo period, active mostly in Bologna, Papal States.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.