1523
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Roman Courtesan or The Revenge of the Sorcerer Virgil is a 1523 by Albrecht Altdorfer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This black-and-white print shows a naked woman sitting on a raised platform, holding a tall staff. Below her, a man kneels, holding a small child while another figure leans in, reaching toward a pot on the ground. The background looks like a simple room with a curtain and a window. The woman’s calm pose contrasts with the chaotic scene below, where the men seem tense. The print’s rough lines and shading create a dramatic mood. Next, check out chiaroscuro to see how light and shadow create drama in art.
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main…
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
