The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge)
1827
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
1827
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
The painting shows a man sitting on a bench, chained up. He looks up, like he's hoping for something better. This picture was made to make people think about slavery and want to end it. The artist used a common way of showing saints to make people feel sorry for the man. To learn more about how artists use shadows to create mood, look at the technique of chiaroscuro.
