Study of a Young Man

This study of a young man from around 1760 demonstrates Greuze's skill in capturing male subjects, which were less common in his oeuvre than his famous female heads. The work exemplifies the artist's ability to convey character and psychological depth through close observation of physiognomy. Greuze's oil technique produced smooth, carefully modelled surfaces for his sentimental figure subjects, with particular attention to the expressive rendering of faces—weeping eyes, parted lips—that...

Bold, confident brushwork defines the young man's features with a directness that contrasts with the more idealized treatment Greuze typically reserved for his female subjects.