Portrait of Sir Charles Holroyd

About this work

This is a black-and-white portrait of a man turned slightly away from us. He’s wearing a white collar with a bow tie, and his hair is neatly combed. The lines on his face and the shadows on his cheekbones look carefully drawn. The artist used soft shading to show depth in his face, which makes the features look real and three-dimensional. This style was common in late 19th-century portraiture. Next, check out sfumato to see how artists like this one created smooth transitions between light and dark.