John Graham
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 tiny print shows John Graham’s face in soft gray shadows. His cravat is a tangle of lines, not a solid shape. The artist cut those shadows into a metal plate, then rolled ink over it to print this. Mezzotint lets artists go from dark to light in one plate. Here, Saint-Mémin worked the metal grain to keep Graham’s skin smooth while the background stays almost black. Next time you’re at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, look for prints in the Corcoran Collection.
