Five Figure Studies; Two Studies of Lions (from Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

Thomas Sully made this sketchbook page with pen and ink, sometime before his death in 1872. The thinness of the lines suggests a quill, which would have been a common writing tool at the time. You can see the way Sully has taken advantage of the pen’s responsiveness to varying pressure, creating a contrast between light, rapid strokes and darker, more deliberate marks. The artist has rendered human figures and lions with equal attention, reflecting the influence of classical ideals of beauty and proportion. These figures look like they come straight out of an ancient Greek frieze. Sully was an accomplished portraitist, painting presidents and aristocrats. But here, he seems to be honing his skills at representing the human form in various poses. In doing so, he was following a long tradition of academic practice, based on the idea that artistic skill could be acquired through disciplined study and practice. So next time you pick up a pen, remember that you’re participating in a very old story, one that stretches back to the Renaissance, and beyond.