Statue of a Draped Female Roman (The Roman Album) 1775 - 1780

Curator: Here we have Jacques-Louis David's "Statue of a Draped Female Roman," part of "The Roman Album." Editor: It's rather austere, isn't it? The composition is dominated by line, the minimal wash creating a sense of classical reserve. Curator: Indeed. David's focus here is on the idealized form, the interplay of drapery, and the classical contrapposto. Note how the lines articulate volume and movement. This is neoclassicism at its core. Editor: But consider the materiality of the drawing itself. The paper, the ink, the artist's hand—these speak to the physical labor involved in representing this idealized figure. The creation of this art object seems almost democratic, in a way. Curator: An interesting observation! I find that by reducing the figure to its essence, it reveals the universal aesthetic principles prized during the Enlightenment. Editor: I see it instead as an intersection: the hand of the artist wrestling with materials to translate a historical concept, a Roman matron, into a tangible thing for the viewer. Curator: I suppose we each find something different in David's work. Editor: Precisely.