Head of an Old Man with a Wide-Brimmed Hat
1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This drawing shows a close-up of an older man’s face and hat. His beard is thick and wavy, and his eyes are half-closed. A wide-brimmed hat sits low on his head, shading his face. The lines are dark and precise, creating shadows that make his skin look textured. The artist used tiny, crisscrossed lines to build up the shading—this is called cross-hatching. It gives the drawing depth without needing color. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how other artists used this technique.
