Figure 

Jean David made this drawing, titled "Figure," with crayon on paper. It presents a face with striking, linear simplicity. David was an artist living and working in Paris in the mid-twentieth century. You can see how he draws upon the visual vocabulary of artists such as Pablo Picasso, who were looking to non-western art for new ways of representing the human figure. The mask-like quality of this drawing is a particularly good example. In a time of great social upheaval, these artists questioned the established artistic institutions and sought to create a new visual language, often with the aim of challenging traditional social norms and hierarchies. Art historians use exhibition reviews, artists’ letters, and other archives to learn more about the intentions of artists such as David and the social and intellectual context in which they worked. It helps us to see how the meaning of art is always contingent on its time and place.