Head of a Girl Looking Up

Published in 1762, the treatise Emile, or On Education by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) transformed educational theory and shaped a new image of childhood defined by innocence and virtue. This theme was quickly taken up by artists such as the sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon, the portraitist Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, and the genre painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Further inspired by the philosopher Denis Diderot, who also believed that education was an important tool to moralize society, Greuze depicted several scenes featuring the instruction of young children. In addition, he devoted numerous sheets to the study of facial expression; here, the raised head and uplifted eyes embody the young girl’s feelings of hope.