1784
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Muleteer Attacking Don Quixote as He Lies Helpless on the Ground is a 1784 chalk by Jean Honoré Fragonard, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a man on the ground, tangled in his clothes, while another figure on a horse looms over him. The lines are loose and quick, with lots of shading in brown and gray. The scene looks messy, like someone scribbled it down fast. The artist used washes of color over chalk to create shadowy shapes—this is called *chiaroscuro*. The movement it belongs to, Romanticism, often focused on drama and emotion. Look up chiaroscuro to see how artists use light and dark for effect.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard was born on 5 April 1732 in Grasse, the son of a glover, and moved with his family to Paris in 1738.
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