1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Woman at the Foot of the Cross (Femme au calvaire) is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows a woman kneeling in shadow, her face half-lit by dim light. She holds her hands together, looking down at the ground. Behind her, a dark, swirling curtain frames a faint shape—maybe a cross or a figure—barely visible in the gloom. The artist used scratchy lines to build up the darkness, making the woman’s form stand out against the chaos. It’s like the light fights to break through, but only touches her edges. Try looking up etching to see how artists carve images into metal plates like this.
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
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