Charles Gounod

Charles Gounod is a sensitive portrait drawing executed by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780–1867) in 1841. This meticulous piece, classified as a drawing, was rendered in graphite on ivory wove paper, which has naturally discolored over time to a cream tone. Ingres created this specific study when the subject, composer Charles Gounod, was twenty-three and newly establishing himself within the artistic circles of France. Ingres, famed for his rigorous Neo-Classical style and absolute precision in line, utilized the graphite medium to capture Gounod's likeness with characteristic clarity and detail, focusing intensely on the contours of the face and the texture of the sitter's hair.

Ingres was arguably the foremost draftsman of his era, often relying on drawing as both an independent art form and as crucial preparation for his large-scale oil paintings. The intimate scale and medium of this drawing contrast sharply with his more formal commissions, allowing for a concentrated and focused study of character. Created during a period when the Romantic movement was flourishing, the piece maintains Ingres’s enduring commitment to academic line work while conveying a sense of immediacy typical of personal or preparatory studies.

The subtle shading, delicate cross-hatching, and crisp contours of Charles Gounod reflect the artist's mastery of form, solidifying his reputation among his contemporaries in Paris. This significant work is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a prime example of French 19th-century portraiture. As a celebrated artwork from this historical era, the image is now often utilized within the public domain, ensuring that high-quality prints and digital reproductions of Ingres’s powerful draftsmanship remain accessible for worldwide study and appreciation.