Le Sommeil, Femme assise 1867

"Le Sommeil, Femme assise" (1867) is a study by French symbolist artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, known for his monumental wall paintings. The work depicts a nude female figure seated, with her head resting on her hand, embodying a state of deep slumber. De Chavannes utilized washes of brown and blue ink to create a sense of ethereal weightlessness, emphasizing the figure's graceful form and evocative pose. The artist's signature style of simplified forms and muted colors imbues the drawing with a timeless quality, making it a compelling example of the transition from realism to symbolism in late 19th-century art.