At the Ball
Constantin Guys, dubbed the 'painter of modern life' by Charles Baudelaire, captures the essence of 19th-century Parisian high society in this rapid sketch. A fashionable woman dominates the page, her massive crinoline dress billowing out as she clutches a fan and wears a glittering tiara. Guys rarely painted from life in the moment; instead, he would observe these glamorous balls and then sketch furiously from memory back in his studio. This technique gave his drawings a vibrant, spontaneous energy that made them feel like a snapshot of a fleeting night out.
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