1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Sleeping Beggar (Mendiant endormi) is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows a woman curled up asleep on the ground, her head resting on her arm. She’s dressed in loose, flowing clothes, and her body is twisted in an awkward but natural pose. Behind her, a dark, textured wall and a window with heavy curtains make the scene feel quiet and private. The artist used sharp lines to show every fold in her clothes and every shadow on her skin. That’s drypoint—it lets them carve fine details into the metal plate before printing. Check out technique: etching, drypoint, aquatint to see how this kind of printmaking works.
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
