Old Man Lighting a Pipe
1660
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
1660
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
An old man in a brown coat leans forward to light his clay pipe. The flame glows against his wrinkled face and calloused hands. Everything else is shadow. Smoking was still new in Europe when this was painted. Artists liked the way fire lit up faces in dark rooms. The glow here is soft, almost like candlelight, but it’s enough to show every crease in his skin. Look up *chiaroscuro* to see how other painters used light and dark this way.
