Orpheus

About this work

This black-and-white print shows a half-naked man playing a lyre while sitting on a rock. Around him, a lion lies calmly at his feet, and a tree with twisting branches grows behind him. The sky above is filled with wavy lines, maybe for clouds or wind. The artist used fine lines to create shadows and textures, like the fur on the lion or the folds in the man’s clothes. This kind of detailed linework is called cross-hatching. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists build depth with just ink and paper.