Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1806
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Philip Rootes Thompson is a 1806 ink by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a man’s side profile in crisp black and white. His sharp nose and high collar look almost photographic. The artist used tiny lines, called cross-hatching, to create smooth shadows on his face. Mezzotint lets artists build soft, velvety tones from dark to light. Saint-Mémin was known for portraits like this one, which feel lifelike yet slightly formal. See how the lines fade from deep black to pale gray? Try looking up Saint-Mémin, Charles B. J. Févret de.
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
See the richer artist page
