James Heath
1796
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1796
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
James Heath is a 1796 by John Raphael Smith, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This portrait shows a man in a light-colored coat with a high collar and a ruffled cravat. His hair is powdered and swept back, and he sits with one arm resting on the back of a chair. Behind him, a bust of an older man with a wig and coat is visible on a pedestal. The painting uses soft lighting to highlight the man’s face, making his features stand out against the dark background. This style was common in portraits of the time. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how this lighting technique works in other paintings.
