Majo keeping time by clapping
1777. Black chalk, Touches of white chalk on laid thin wrapping paper, blue paper.Not on display
This fast and loose sketch, made in black chalk with very few lines and surely drawn from life, is a preparatory work for a figure in the tapestry cartoon Dance on the banks of the Manzanares (1777). The individuality of the face is achieved with a single line; a few short lines mark the sideburn, and vigorous, confident strokes depict the hat. The scarce clarity highlights the contours, and defines the reflections of light, a characteristic resource used by Goya to achieve a naturalistic illumination.
Matilla Rodríguez, José Manuel, Ligereza y atrevimiento. Dibujos de Goya, Santander, Fundación Botín, 2017, p.52 n.17; 166 n.17
