1866
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Tragic Actor (L'acteur tragique) is a 1866 ink by Edouard Manet, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a man in a long coat with a fur collar, holding a cane. His hat sits low over his face, and his expression looks serious. The background is plain, with just a few lines for texture. The artist used a technique that creates sharp, rough lines—this is an etching. It’s not a smooth painting but a print made by scratching into metal. Next, look up etching to see how artists make prints like this.
Édouard Manet didn’t have much time to make his mark—he died at 51—but he used every year.
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