Léon Gambetta
1884
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1884
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This is a black-and-white portrait of a man with a thick beard and curly hair. He’s wearing a high-collared jacket, looking off to the side with a serious expression. The background is just a plain, textured wall—no extra details. The artist used shading to make the face stand out sharply against the light background. This kind of lighting is called *chiaroscuro*, where dark and light contrast create depth. Look up chiaroscuro to see how artists use light and shadow to tell stories.
