Study of a Woman Holding a Shawl

The present drawing is an exquisite example of Gainsborough's draftsmanship in the early 1760s, when, during his years in Bath, he developed a reputation as a portraitist. The artist's fascination with the effects of light on fabric, emphasized by the movement of the model and the consequent vibration of the cloth, led him to explore the many tonal solutions offered by the black chalk. By dipping it in oil while crafting this study, the artist accentuated some of the darkest areas of the woman's dress, enhancing the figure's sense of motion. -- Exhibition Label, from "Thomas Gainsborough: Experiments in Drawings."