1712
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Bertoldo Stuffed in a Sack is a 1712 ink by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two men in a dim, shadowy room. One is bundled in a sack, struggling while the other holds him up. The man in the sack wears a hooded cloak, and the other man leans in, pointing or adjusting something. The walls are rough, and the light fades into darkness at the top. The sack scene hints at a joke or a trick—maybe the man is pretending to be stuffed inside. The artist used sharp lines to show movement and tension. Next, look up etching to see how this technique creates such detailed shadows.
Giuseppe Maria Crespi (14 March 1665 – 16 July 1747), nicknamed Lo Spagnuolo ('The Spaniard'), was an Italian late Baroque painter of the Bolognese School.
See the richer artist page
