1622
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Fracischina and Gian Farina is a 1622 ink by French 17th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white etching shows two giant figures looming over a small town. The figure on the left holds a giant harp and a bag, while the one on the right wields a sword. Tiny people below look up at them, some pointing or hiding. Buildings and a river fill the background. Notice how the artist used sharp lines to make the giants look strong and the townsfolk small—this was a common trick in Baroque art to show drama. Next, check out the technique: etching to see how artists like this made detailed prints.
Seventeenth-century French printmakers turned ink into story. Their tools were burin and acid, paper their stage. Look at the Beggar Woman with Rosary (1622), etched on laid paper, her hands folded around faith, or The…
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