Yes or No
Medium
graphite and red chalk heightened with white on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 29.6 x 22.8 cm (11 5/8 x 9 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Widener Collection
Accession Number
1942.9.1201
Art Historical Context
Created in 1778 by French artist Jean-Michel Moreau, *Yes or No* exemplifies the refined draftsmanship of late eighteenth-century France. Working during the transition from Rococo elegance to emerging Neoclassical restraint, Moreau was celebrated for his lively illustrations of contemporary manners and literary scenes. This drawing, executed in graphite and red chalk heightened with white on laid paper, captures the delicate interplay of line and tone that made his preparatory studies so prized by engravers and collectors alike. The medium itself reveals much about artistic practice of the pe...