1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Blacksmith (Le forgeron) is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a muscular man hunched over an anvil, hammer raised high. His face is hidden by wild hair and smoke, and the background blurs into dark shapes. The lines are rough and scratchy, like they were drawn fast. The artist used a technique called drypoint to make these deep, grainy marks. It’s not smooth—it looks urgent, almost raw. Try searching drypoint to see how other artists used this scratchy, intense method.
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
See the richer artist page
