Head of an Old Woman, in Left Profile 1620 - 1625

Jacob Jordaens made this study of an old woman’s head, in red chalk, in the 17th century. Jordaens was a leading artist in Antwerp, in the region of Flanders, now part of Belgium. Although he never traveled to Italy, he was familiar with Italian Renaissance art. He produced paintings in the Baroque style for wealthy patrons, as well as designs for tapestries. He also made studies of human figures, like this drawing of an old woman’s head. The drawing may have been a preparatory sketch for a painting, or a study of the human form. Life drawing has had a long and interesting relationship to academies of art. The French academy began under Louis XIV. Its purpose was to establish artistic standards as a tool of the state. Academies taught drawing as the basis for all artistic creation. We can research Jordaens’s life to understand how academies influenced the development of drawing. By studying Jordaens, we can understand drawing’s evolving function in society.