Group of Caricatured Figures with an Artist Drawing
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash
Dimensions
7 11/16 x 10 3/8in. (19.6 x 26.4cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971
Accession Number
1975.131.37
Tags
Art Historical Context
This lively drawing, *Group of Caricatured with an Artist Drawing*, a whimsical scene of exaggerated male figures, including an artist at work, rendered with spirited energy. Attributed to Pier Francesco Mola or the influential Bolognese master Guercino (Giovanni Francescoieri, 1591–1666), it dates to the mid-17th century. Created with pen and brown ink heightened by brush and gray wash paper (7 11/16 x 10 3/8 in.), the technique showcases the artists' mastery of fluid lines for comic distortion and subtle wash for depth and shadow, evoking the theatrical flair of the Baroque era. Guercino, a...
About the Artist
Pier Francesco Mola|Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)
Pier Francesco Mola (1612–1666) was a Roman Baroque painter celebrated for the lyrical quality of his landscapes and the painterly freedom of his figural work, qualities that set him apart from the more rigorous classicism of some of his contemporaries. Born in Coldrerio in the Swiss canton of Ticino, he spent the greater part of his career in Rome, where he underwent an extensive and eclectic for...