Vanitas of Venus: Parisian Virtues by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

Vanitas of Venus: Parisian Virtues c. 1890

drawing, print, paper, inorganic-material, chalk, black-chalk

drawing

amateur sketch

toned paper

light pencil work

print

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

charcoal drawing

paper

personal sketchbook

pencil drawing

inorganic-material

detailed observational sketch

chalk

france

water

pencil work

black-chalk

This charcoal drawing, "Vanitas of Venus: Parisian Virtues", is a study by the French Symbolist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, c. 1890. It features a reclining female nude, likely Venus, surrounded by a decorative drapery and an infant. The composition is framed by a large arch, drawing the viewer's eye to the central figures. The subject matter evokes themes of beauty, mortality, and the fleeting nature of time, typical of the Vanitas genre. The soft lines and subtle shading, characteristic of Chavannes' style, create a sense of tranquility and introspection.