1601
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Portrait of a Boy is a 1601 chalk by French 17th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a boy with big, curly hair and a serious face. He’s wearing a fancy, embroidered jacket with puffy sleeves and a high collar. The lines are loose and quick, like the artist was drawing fast—some parts are dark, others barely there. The blue background makes the black chalk stand out, giving the whole thing a cool, almost ghostly look. The artist used white chalk to brighten his face and hands, adding just enough detail to make him pop. Next, check out Baroque to see how this sketch fits into that bold, dramatic style.
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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