The Education of the Virgin c. 1762

Jean-Baptiste Deshays created "The Education of the Virgin" with pen and brown ink, and brown wash on paper. The sepia tones evoke a sense of classical antiquity. Light radiates from the angelic figures, contrasting with the shadowed, earth-bound observers. Deshays employs a dynamic composition, using contrasting shades to guide our eyes through the scene. The architectural details are rendered with precise lines, contrasting with the fluid, almost ethereal depiction of the angels. This juxtaposition creates a visual dialogue between the earthly and the divine. Note the semiotic interplay between the figures' gestures and the architectural space. The upward gaze of the Virgin suggests a transcendence of earthly confines, reinforced by the heavenly light. The drawing doesn’t just represent a religious scene; it examines the very structure of devotion and knowledge.