1622
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
The Sick Man is a 1622 ink by French 17th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows a hunched, bearded man sitting on the ground. He’s wrapped in a heavy cloak, one hand clutching a small cup, the other resting on his knee. His face looks tired, with deep lines and wide eyes staring off to the side. The artist used shading to show wrinkles and fabric folds, making the scene feel rough and real. This style was common in etchings of the time—simple but full of detail. Next, look up technique: etching to see how artists like this made 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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