Artwork
Head and Bust of a Woman
Head and Bust of a Woman is a charcoal drawing by the Baroque artist Joshua Reynolds. It dates from 1758 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Head and Bust of a Woman is a drawing created by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1758. It is executed in charcoal with pastel on laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a woman's face and shoulders, with her hair pulled back and a lace collar at her neck. The portrait blends lifelike detail with refined elegance, reflecting Reynolds' approach to capturing his subjects.
Technique & Style
Reynolds employed a mix of smudged and precise strokes, using charcoal and pastel to achieve a range of textures and shading effects. The use of pastel, a colored chalk medium, allowed for rich, blended colors, while the loose handling of the lace collar conveys a sense of liveliness.
Context
The work is characteristic of Reynolds' 'Grand Style,' which emphasized idealized representations. As a leading English portrait painter and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, Reynolds' approach to portraiture was influential in his time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits.
