Accession Number
2009/1.503

Title
A Woman in an Evening Dress, Singing

Artist(s)
Constantin Guys

Object Creation Date
1825-1892

Medium & Support
graphite on paper

Dimensions
8 in. x 5 3/8 in. ( 20.32 cm x 13.65 cm )

Credit Line
Joseph F. McCrindle Collection

Subject matter
In his famous 1863 essay "The Painter of Modern Life" Charles Baudelaire characterizes an artist he calls "Monsieur G" as the ultimate "flâneur," a (male) figure of the Second Empire who thrived on roaming the city and observing urban spectacles. Guys then sketched what he'd seen from memory in a quick, fleeting style that, for Baudelaire, mirrored the transient quality of life in the modern city. Elegant women held a particular fascination for both Guys and Baudelaire.

Physical Description
A sketch of a woman in an evening dress. Her face and mouth are drawn in a way to suggest the action of singing. In her right hand she is holding her gown; she is leaning forward and appears to be advancing forward, as during a performance.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
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Keywords
gowns
performances (entertainment events)
sketches
women (female humans)