L'Appel des Balayeurs de la Nuit
1890
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1890
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
L'Appel des Balayeurs de la Nuit is a 1890 by Auguste Lepère, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows a dark, rainy night scene with a group of men in heavy coats and hats. They’re holding long poles and standing in a line, watching a man on horseback who’s fighting with a large dog. The horse is rearing up, and the dog is lunging at it. The background looks like a dimly lit street with buildings and puddles on the ground. The artist used strong contrasts between light and dark to make the scene feel dramatic. The light from a lantern highlights the horse and the dog, while the rest stays shadowy. Look up chiaroscuro next to see how this lighting trick works.
