Saint Joseph with the Christ Child
1720
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1720
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Saint Joseph with the Christ Child is a 1720 ink by Paul Troger, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows an older man with a long beard holding a small child. They sit close together, wrapped in loose, flowing cloth. The background is full of tangled lines that look like trees or bushes, but it’s hard to tell what’s real. The artist used lots of scratchy lines to make the textures—like fur or fabric—feel real. The way the lines overlap gives it a busy, almost chaotic look. Next, check out etching to see how artists like this make prints with acid and needles.
