Franz Janius

About this work

This is a black-and-white portrait of a man with a serious face. He wears a high-collared robe and a ruff around his neck, with glasses perched on his nose. The background is plain, focusing all attention on his expression and the detailed lines of his clothing. The artist used tiny parallel lines to build up shadows and texture—this is called cross-hatching. It makes the fabric look thick and the face look three-dimensional. Look up technique: engraving to see how artists like this one carved lines into metal to make prints.