The Black Hat
1921
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1921
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This is a black-and-white portrait of a woman sitting still. She wears a wide-brimmed hat with a dark band and a patterned dress with a high collar. Her hands rest in her lap, and she looks straight ahead with a calm face. The artist used shading to show depth in her clothes and face, focusing on contrasts between light and dark. This technique makes the textures pop, like the folds in her dress or the shadow under her hat. Next, check out chiaroscuro to see how this lighting trick works in other art.
