Young Woman with a Turban
Jacques Louis David·1780
Historical Context
Young Woman with a Turban, at the Cleveland Museum of Art, dates from around 1780 and shows David experimenting with the exotic costume pieces popular in the late 18th century. The turban adds an orientalizing note that was fashionable in both portraiture and history painting of the period. David's austere oil technique rejected all Rococo softness in favor of a firm, sculptural handling that emphasized drawing over color—figures modelled like antique reliefs against neutral backgrounds,...
Technical Analysis
The turban's white fabric provides the painting's brightest passages, painted with fluid, confident strokes that model the folds and creases of the draped cloth. The face beneath is rendered in warmer tones, with the cool white of the turban creating a chromatic counterpoint.
