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Six Conversing Men and Ten Battling Nudes

Unknown

1470

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

Six Conversing Men and Ten Battling Nudes is a 1470 ink by Unknown, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1470 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows two groups of figures. The top half has five men talking, standing on a rough stone ground. Their clothes look simple, and they’re all facing each other, hands moving like they’re in the middle of a conversation. Below them, ten naked men are fighting—some are swinging sticks, others are grappling on the ground. The contrast between the calm talkers and the chaotic fighters is odd. The artist used quick, sketchy lines to show movement and energy, especially in the lower scene. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how artists build shadows with lines like this.