Untitled
1865
From the collection of Rijksmuseum
1865
From the collection of Rijksmuseum
You see a small, dark room with a single candle on a table. The flame throws sharp shadows on the wall behind it. A man in a long coat sits in the corner, barely lit. No one knows who painted it or why. The date—August 1822—is written on the back, but nothing else. The candlelight effect is so strong it almost feels like a trick of the eye. To see more paintings that play with light and shadow, look up chiaroscuro.
