1875
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
English Beggars (Les mendiants anglais) is a 1875 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows three people sitting on the floor in a dim room. The man in the center looks tired, holding a walking stick. Behind him, a woman and child sit wrapped in clothes, staring off. A tall bookshelf and a fireplace loom in the background, but the room feels crowded and worn. The artist used quick, rough lines to show their struggle. The faces and hands are drawn fast, like a snapshot of real life. Next, check out the technique: drypoint to see how artists carve lines into metal plates.
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
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