id: 144657
accession number: 1969.28.b
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.28.b
updated: 2023-01-11 02:44:13.387000
Sketches of Heads (verso, left); Two Women (verso, right), c. 1770–75. John Brown (British, 1752–1787). Left: graphite; right: gray and black wash with point of brush and graphite; sheet: 25.7 x 18.6 cm (10 1/8 x 7 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1969.28.b
title: Sketches of Heads (verso, left); Two Women (verso, right)
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: c. 1770–75
creation date earliest: 1765
creation date latest: 1800
current location:
creditline: Dudley P. Allen Fund
copyright:
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culture: England, 18th century
technique: left: graphite; right: gray and black wash with point of brush and graphite
department: Drawings
collection: DR - British
type: Drawing
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
* John Brown (British, 1752–1787) - artist
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measurements: Sheet: 25.7 x 18.6 cm (10 1/8 x 7 5/16 in.)
state of the work:
edition of the work:
support materials:
inscriptions:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: The Poetical Circle: Fuseli and the British
opening date: 1979-04-24T05:00:00
The Poetical Circle: Fuseli and the British. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (April 24-May 27, 1979); Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Austria (June 5-July 29, 1979); Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia (organizer) (September 1-27, 1979); Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand (October 24-November 25, 1979).
title: British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art
opening date: 2013-02-10T00:00:00
British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 10-May 26, 2013).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
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PROVENANCE
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fun fact:
John Brown meant for the dark background of this drawing to evoke the potential danger of Italian nights; the writer Johann Joachim Winckelmann had been murdered in Trieste in 1768, in the most conspicuous example of the period's widespread violence.
digital description:
John Brown is known for a small group of monochromatic drawings imbued with sinister overtones. At the age of 20, the Scottish artist traveled to Italy where he spent the next 12 years. This drawing exemplifies his Roman street scenes which often depict women dressed in spectacular, billowing costumes. Here, a figure with bare ankles and plunging décolletage is surrounded by a crowd of men who leer at her. The reverse of the sketchbook sheet includes two independent drawings: a study of faces in fierce and intense expressions, and a pair of women wearing swirling gowns. One figure raises her hand in a mysterious gesture, either beckoning or forewarning the viewer.
wall description:
A beguiling artist with a brief career, Brown is known for a small group of monochromatic drawings imbued with sinister overtones. At the age of 20, the Scottish artist traveled to Italy where he spent the next 12 years. This drawing exemplifies his Roman street scenes which often depict women dressed in spectacular, billowing costumes. Here, a coquette with bare ankles and plunging décolletage is surrounded by a crowd of vulgar types who leer, ogle, judge, and scorn. The reverse of the sketchbook sheet includes two independent drawings: a study of faces in fierce and intense expressions, and a pair of women wearing swirling gowns. One figure raises her hand in a mysterious gesture that casts a shadow on her throat resembling a claw. Whether the viewer is being beckoned or forewarned remains a mystery.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1969.28.b/1969.28.b_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1969.28.b/1969.28.b_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1969.28.b/1969.28.b_full.tif