Today is the birthday of Jean-August-Dominique Ingres. A founder of the neoclassical school, Ingres was a taunch defender of the classic tradition in painting amd drawing and fought mightily against the romanticist movement that came to dominate European painting in the nineteenth century. One of the greatest draughtsman to ever pick up a pencil or a brush, this arch-traditionalist's innovative approach to perspective and color made him a favorite of Picasso and Matisse. Ingres was also a passionate violinist who counted Franz List among his close friends. This is a gorgeous pencil sketch of the violin virtuoso Paganini, with whom Ingres performed on occasion.