1819
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Begging for Alms is a 1819 by Nicolas Toussaint Charlet, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This sketch shows four people in a rough alley. The man on the left, dressed in clean clothes, holds a walking stick and looks down at a beggar kneeling in rags. Behind them, two others stand—one boy in simple clothes, another older man leaning on a crutch. The walls are crumbling, and the ground is uneven. The beggar’s outstretched hand and the clean-clothed man’s distant gaze suggest a quiet plea. The scene feels tense, like a moment frozen in time. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how artists use light and shadow for drama.
Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet was a French painter and printmaker, more especially of military subjects.
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