Francis Bacon in a Niche
1642
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From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1642
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This is a black-and-white engraving of a man sitting in a curved, arched niche. He’s dressed in old-fashioned clothes—ruffled collar, loose shirt, and baggy pants—and holds a piece of paper in one hand while resting his chin on the other. The background is simple, with a few lines suggesting a wall and a small ledge behind him. The text around him is in Latin, describing who he is and what he did. The lines are sharp, and the shading comes from tiny crisscrossed lines, giving the image depth. This is an example of engraving.
