Rhetorica (Rhetoric)
1538
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1538
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Rhetorica (Rhetoric) is a 1538 ink by Virgil Solis, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image is an old black-and-white print of a busy, swirling scene. At the top, the word "Rhetorica" is written in bold letters. Below it, a woman’s face floats in a cloud of curly hair and feathers, holding a scroll. Around her, smaller faces peek from the clouds, and a tiny city sits at the bottom, with a bridge crossing a river. The word "Rhetorica" means this print stands for the art of speaking or writing well. The messy, tangled lines and faces might show how ideas mix and clash. If you like this style, look up engraving to see how artists carved these details.
