Paralytic (Le paralytique)

About this work

This print shows a man lying on his side, covered in a blanket, one arm limp beside him. His hollow eyes stare past us. The room is bare—just a simple floor and wall. Legros made this in the 1860s when prints like this were cheap ways to share art. You could buy one for pocket change, tack it on your wall. He used two tools: an etching needle for lines, then a drypoint needle to scratch fuzzy shadows into the metal plate. Check out the rough, scratchy texture it leaves. Look up etching, drypoint.