1883
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
A Martyr (Un martyre) is a 1883 ink by Paul-Albert Besnard, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two people in a forest, their faces blurred and hands raised as if in pain or prayer. Trees loom around them, their branches tangled and sharp. The lines are rough, almost frantic, with dark shading that makes the scene feel heavy and urgent. The artist used a technique that scratches into metal plates to create the lines—this is called etching. The way the paper looks textured suggests it’s an early print, maybe one of the first tries. Next, look up etching to see how artists like this made prints before photography.
Paul-Albert Besnard (1849–1934) was a French artist, born in 7th arrondissement of Paris.
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