A Young Man Standing

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Artist: Govert Flinck (Dutch, 1615–1660)
Medium: Black chalk heightened with white chalk and white opaque watercolor, on blue paper
Size: 40.8 × 21.4 cm (16 1/16 × 8 7/16 in.)
Culture: Dutch
Museum: J. Paul Getty Museum
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

This fashionably dressed young man stands in a classical contrapposto pose and looks over his right shoulder into the distance. He wears a long coat over his vest and breeches, a cravat tied loosely around his neck, and narrow leather boots. He wears his hair long underneath his three-cornered hat or bonnet. In the 1600s, men and women wore their hats indoors and even at dinner; only in the presence of royalty was headgear removed.

Working with great sureness, Govaert Flinck nearly completed a finished drawing except for the positioning of the cane, which he left uncertain. Using only black and white chalk against colored paper, he created a dynamic composition out of a single figure. The black chalk strokes outline the body and clothing, while the light chalk lines highlight the shimmering movement of the silk overcoat. These white tones appear to advance to the front, while the blue of the paper recedes into space. Although Flinck sometimes used his figure studies for paintings, he does not seem to have done so with this drawing.

Text: J. Paul Getty Trust, CC BY 4.0.