The Artist in the Attic

Max Klinger

1880

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

About this work

This sketch shows a person sitting in a dimly lit room, hunched over an easel. They hold a brush in one hand and rest their chin on the other, looking down. The room has a small window letting in faint light, and a few scattered tools lie on a stool nearby. The artist used shading to show the quiet, focused mood of the scene. The lines are simple but detailed, giving a sense of the space and the person’s deep thought. Next, look up etching to see how this technique works.