Madame Moitessier (study) 1851

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres made this study of Madame Moitessier using graphite on paper. The medium is crucial here. Ingres was above all a draughtsman, and the pencil was his tool of choice. In this study, you can see him working out the precise geometry of Madame Moitessier’s face. The supple quality of graphite allows him to build up tone with thousands of tiny strokes. Look closely, and you'll notice the erasures and changes in line, the pentimenti, revealing his working process. It's important to remember that drawing was considered a fundamental skill, the bedrock on which painting and sculpture were built. It was labor, but it was the work of intellectual refinement and artistic genius. The study of the art of drawing was the cornerstone of academic artistic training. This seemingly simple drawing reflects Ingres’s dedication to classical ideals, his technical mastery, and his belief in the power of line, which goes to show that even the humblest materials can yield extraordinary results.