Half-Length Portrait of an Old Man
1750
unspecified
From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst
This painting shows a serious-looking older man with a mustache and graying hair. He’s wearing a dark collar that looks like armor, and his hair is tied back with a ribbon. The background is completely black, making his face stand out. The artist used light and shadow to give his face a three-dimensional look, especially on the cheekbones and jawline. This makes the skin look almost sculpted. Check out *chiaroscuro* to see how this lighting trick works in other paintings.
