Sketch of Two Statues: Ballerinas by Canova 1845 - 1855

This is John Gibson’s “Sketch of Two Statues: Ballerinas by Canova,” made with graphite on paper. Gibson was a British Neoclassical sculptor working in the first half of the 19th century. Here he depicts two statues of dancers by the Italian artist Antonio Canova. Neoclassicism was a broad movement in the arts that looked to classical antiquity for models of aesthetic excellence. Canova was influential in the development of this style. This drawing speaks to the way that artworks gain value through institutional and social validation, as Gibson’s drawing is itself a representation of Canova’s sculptures. It also hints at the way artists would learn and improve their craft: by studying the work of artists who came before them. Understanding art requires that we look beyond the individual artist and consider the cultural context in which they worked, as well as the work’s relationship to art history.