Edmund Wilcox Rootes
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1808
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1808
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This print shows a man’s face in soft shadows. His collar and coat edges glow. The artist used tiny dots and lines to make the light look real. Mezzotint prints flip the usual process. The plate starts rough, then gets smoothed where the light should be. This makes the face pop off the dark background. If you like how light and dark play together, look up the artist Saint-Mémin, Charles B. J. Févret de.
