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Two Studies of Dubois-Crancé and Robespierre for “The Oath of the Tennis Court”
Jacques Louis David French
Not on view
David approached contemporary events in much the same way he did subjects from ancient history, by making multiple studies of figures and figural groups, first nude, then clothed, tweaking their poses and props.
Here, two sheets affixed side-by-side record different stages of the process. The pair, Edmond Dubois-Crancé and Maximilien Robespierre, appear right of center in the finished drawing hanging nearby, their positions swapped. The two figures indicated in pen-and-ink contour at far right were probably traced from another sketch in an attempt to gauge placement and overlap.
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