Saint Benedict
1641
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
About the artist
Artist
Claude Mellan
Claude Mellan (1598–1688) was a French artist, born in Abbeville.
See the richer artist page1641
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Saint Benedict is a 1641 ink by Claude Mellan, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This picture shows a robed figure kneeling on rocky ground, hands clasped in prayer. Above him, a large, glowing circle hovers like a sun or halo. The person’s face is serious, with deep shadows under the eyes and a hood pulled low over their head. The artist used tiny, crisscrossed lines to build up dark and light areas—this is called cross-hatching. It gives the image a textured, almost three-dimensional look, even though it’s just ink on paper. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this one carved their designs into metal plates.
Claude Mellan (1598–1688) was a French artist, born in Abbeville.
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