Study of a Young Man, Drawing

In October 1895, Galerie Rapp in Paris organized one section of a large exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts that marked the hundredth anniversary of the invention of lithography by Aloys Senefelder. The British printer Frederick Goulding, who had developed an improved transfer paper for lithography, was involved in the show, and he encouraged Sargent and other London artists to participate, even offering to supply them with materials and print their work. Sargent created six lithographs at this time, moving from linear images to compositions that included strong tonal contrasts, selecting "Study of a Young Man, Seated" (50.558.4) to the exhibition. As in the latter, Sargent here describes a semi-recumbant pose with strong light falling across an exposed shoulder and crumpled drapery. He also adds furniture and setting, elements obscured by deep shadows in the exhibited print.