Woman with a Raised Hand, from the Villa Medici

Woman with a Raised Hand, from the Villa Medici by Jacques-Louis David is an exemplary drawing executed between 1775 and 1780. This profound piece, rendered in brown ink with gray wash over graphite on laid paper, dates from David’s transformative period while residing at the French Academy in Rome. As a pivotal French artist working within the period 1751 to 1775, David utilized intensive drawing sessions as a vital tool for observing classical sculpture and studying the living model, experiences foundational to his emerging Neoclassical style.

The subject, depicted in a forceful pose with the hand dramatically raised, demonstrates David’s early mastery of emotive gesture and volumetric form. The swift yet controlled brown ink lines define the contours of the figure and drapery with efficiency. David utilizes the delicate gray wash to define shadows and model the form, giving the figure a powerful, sculptural quality typical of the prototypes he studied in Italy. The underlying graphite structure stabilizes the dynamic pose on the laid paper support, highlighting the materiality of his drawing practice. This work illustrates the rigorous academic approach that would come to define the aesthetics of Neoclassicism in the late eighteenth century.

Although the precise narrative context for this sheet is unknown, it likely served as a preparatory study for a major historical or mythological composition that required strong emotional action and clarity of form. Such studies from the Villa Medici period cemented David’s reputation, leading directly to celebrated masterpieces like The Oath of the Horatii. This significant early drawing is part of the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art. The piece is frequently cited in academic studies of the artist’s methodology, and while the drawing itself is not currently designated as public domain, high-quality reference prints are often available for scholarly research.