Untitled
1550
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1550
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
This is a black-and-white print of a seated man with curly hair, looking down as he holds his foot. He’s barefoot, wearing just a short skirt-like wrap, and his other hand rests on his knee. The background is plain, but the man’s body and the rough stone block he sits on are detailed with shading. The artist used shading to make the figure look three-dimensional, almost like carved stone. This print was made in the 1500s, showing how artists studied human bodies back then. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how this shading technique works.
