Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1800
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Tarsiere is a 1800 ink by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This tiny print shows a man’s face in profile. Shadows blend softly from his cheek to his coat. The artist uses mezzotint, a tricky method where he roughens the metal plate then smooths parts to get smooth darks and lights. Mezzotint lets the artist control light like no other print process. The paper is small—just two inches square—yet the details pop. Look up Saint-Mémin, Charles B. J. Févret de to see more of his smooth, moody portraits.
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
See the richer artist page
