Untitled

About this work

This painting shows dead game birds—pigeons, a rabbit, and a hare—piled on a rough wooden surface. Their feathers are still attached, but they look limp and lifeless. A hunting bag, a knife, and a lantern sit nearby, along with a few cut lemons. The colors are mostly muted browns and grays, with some pale blues and whites from the birds’ feathers. The way light and shadow separate the birds from the dark background makes them stand out sharply. This kind of contrast was a common trick in older paintings. Next, check out *chiaroscuro* to see how artists used light and dark like this.