Cupid and three Putti
1506
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1506
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This black-and-white print shows four naked boys in a forest. One boy is holding a bow, another is holding a lyre, and the third is holding a scroll. The fourth boy is holding a tree branch with leaves and fruit. The background has tall pine trees and bushes, and the scene looks busy with lots of details. The artist used shading to make the figures look three-dimensional, even though it’s just a print. This was a common trick in Renaissance art to create depth. Check out chiaroscuro to see how artists used light and shadow like this.
