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Nel Convento d’Aracoeli (In the Aracoeli Convent)

Carlo Baldassare Simelli

1840

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Interior

Dominant colour

Nel Convento d’Aracoeli (In the Aracoeli Convent) is a 1840 ink by Carlo Baldassare Simelli, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Carlo Baldassare Simelli
When & what style?: 1840 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This etching shows two people standing under a large archway inside a dimly lit building. The walls are plain stone, and the floor has a few scattered steps. Light comes from an open doorway ahead, where a third person is just visible. The paper has a yellowish tint, and the whole scene looks like it was drawn by hand. The artist used shading to make the shadows deep and the light areas soft. This was done with a method called aquatint, which lets them create smooth tones. Look up aquatint to see how artists use acid and resin to make these subtle shades.