Study the figure of Hermione and sketches of the figure of Pyrrhus 

Pierre-Narcisse Guerin made this sketch, Study the figure of Hermione and sketches of the figure of Pyrrhus, in France in the late 18th or early 19th century. It depicts figures from classical Greek tragedy, a subject which was very popular in academic art of the period. The sketch relates to a commission Guerin received in 1798 from the French state. It was for a painting on the subject of Pyrrhus and Andromache, a story from Racine’s plays about the aftermath of the Trojan War. We can see the figure of Hermione worked up in more detail than that of Pyrrhus. Paintings of this kind were intended to uphold the virtues of the new republic, which was then being consolidated. The tragic subject matter speaks to a time of great social and political upheaval. Art history helps us to understand these visual codes and historical references so that we can appreciate this work in its historical context.