Study of a Head
1837–1911
Medium
Graphite on gray paper
Dimensions
7 3/4 x 7 in. (19.7 x 17.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the artist, 1892
Accession Number
92.13.31
Tags
Art Historical Context
Alphonse Legros (1837–1911), a French-born artist who later became a prominent figure in London's art scene, created this intimate *Study of a Head* his prolific career bridging Realism and etching mastery. Working in the late 19th century, Legros inspiration from masters like Rembrandt and Courbet, focusing on expressive portraits that captured human character with unflinching honesty. This drawing, gifted by the artist himself to the Museum of Art in 2, exemplifies his skill in preliminary studies, likely prepared for larger paintings or prints. Rendered in graphite on gray paper—a medium L...
About the Artist
Alphonse Legros · 1837–1911
Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) was born in Dijon, France, and trained in Paris at the drawing school of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose unconventional teaching method — which emphasised memory drawing and acute observation over academic convention — would leave a lasting mark on Legros's practice. At Lecoq's school he formed friendships with Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin that endured throughout hi...