1782
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Belisane and Parcival under the Enchantment of Urma is a 1782 ink by John Raphael Smith, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This scene shows two people in a dim, rocky space. One sits slumped, hand to their face, wearing loose clothes and a turban. The other kneels in a flowing dress, head down, hands clasped. Behind them, shadowy figures with crowns and wings watch from a dark background. A table holds a bowl of fruit, and a sword leans against a rock. The title hints this is a story from medieval legend, not a real event. The artist used a printmaking method called mezzotint, which creates rich, dark tones. Look up technique: cross-hatching next to see how it builds texture.
John Raphael Smith (25 May 1751 – 2 March 1812) was a British painter and mezzotinter. He was the son of the landscape painter Thomas Smith and the father of John Rubens Smith, a painter who emigrated to the United States.
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