Saint John the Evangelist
Medium
Pen and brown ink over black chalk on cream laid paper
Dimensions
12.3 × 9.4 cm (4 7/8 × 3 3/4 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81261
Art Historical Context
François Le Moyne'sSaint John the Evangelist is a delicate preparatory drawing that captures the Rococo master's mastery of fluid line and expressive form. Created with pen and brown ink over chalk on cream laid paper this intimate 12.3 × 9.4 cm sheet exemplifies the preparatory sketches favored by 18th-century French artists. Le Moyne (1688–1737), a leading figure in the Rococo movement, was renowned for his dynamic history paintings and elegant drawings, which influenced contemporaries like François Boucher. Though undated, it reflects his tenure as Premier Peintre du Roi under Louis XV, ble...