Étude de tête de femme, dite La Folle
Jacques Louis David·1780
Historical Context
David's Étude de tête de femme, dite La Folle of 1780 depicts a female head study — described as 'the madwoman' — in the tradition of expression studies that formed part of academic training. The work demonstrates David's ability to depict extreme psychological states with the same anatomical precision he brought to heroic subjects, and the woman's disturbed expression suggests the interest in the extreme registers of human emotion that characterized his engagement with classical drama throughout his career.
Technical Analysis
The wild, unfocused eyes and disheveled hair are rendered with a raw intensity unusual in David's typically controlled work. The brushwork is freer and more agitated than in his finished paintings, matching the subject's psychological state with technical expressiveness.
