Figures from "The Deluge" of Michelangelo 1837 - 1911

Alphonse Legros created "Figures from 'The Deluge' of Michelangelo" using graphite on paper. The composition focuses on a seated figure, possibly a mother, with a child behind her, set against a backdrop of swirling lines that suggest chaos. Legros’s use of line is particularly striking. Notice the fine, almost delicate strokes that define the figures, contrasting with the more frantic, scribbled lines in the background. These background lines evoke the sense of turbulence, the chaos of the deluge, almost as if Legros aims to depict not just the physical scene but the emotional and psychological turmoil of the subjects. The drawing destabilizes the traditional representation of motherhood, presenting it not as an ideal but as a raw, exposed, and vulnerable state. The formal qualities of line and composition in "Figures from 'The Deluge'" create a space for ongoing interpretation and a deeper engagement with themes of survival, despair, and human resilience.