Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino

This black chalk drawing is a direct copy after the central figure in Guercino’s Saint William of Aquitaine Receiving the Cowl, an altarpiece painted in 1620 for the Church of Saint Gregory in Bologna. The drawing depicts the half-kneeling figure of Saint William as he pulls a monastic habit over his head. The broad areas of hatching and sketchy outline of the figure reveal the artist’s interest in exploring the effects of light and shadow, rather than creating a fully finished drawing. Black chalk, a popular medium for 16th-century figural studies, allows the artist to show subtle tonal shifts by smudging and deepening hues. Copying was a vital part of artistic training, and in this case, the student chose to study a painter known for his ability to depict dramatic lighting.