Portrait of Martin Luther (1483-1546)
1550
unspecified
From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst
This is a close-up portrait of a man with curly gray hair and a serious expression. He’s wearing a black robe over a white collar with a black tie. The background is plain and dark, so all the focus is on his face. Notice how the artist used light and shadow to make his face look three-dimensional. The cheekbones and nose stand out clearly against the softer shadows. Check out chiaroscuro to see how this effect works.
