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Head of a Bearded Man, Looking Right

Alexandre Bida

1859

graphite

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

Head of a Bearded Man, Looking Right is a 1859 graphite by Alexandre Bida, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Alexandre Bida
When & what style?: 1859 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This is a close-up drawing of a man with a thick beard, his face turned to the side. The lines are soft, almost smudged, like the artist used his finger to blend the graphite. Bida made this in just one year—1888—before he died at 38. The blue paper gives the sketch a quiet, moody feel, like early morning light. The man’s expression is calm, but the quick, loose marks suggest the artist was working fast, maybe even from life. If you like this, look up the technique called *sfumato*—it’s how artists soften edges to make faces look real.