1650
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Lute Player and the Drinker is a 1650 ink by Wallerant Vaillant, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows two men in a dim room. One sits on a stool, playing a lute and laughing, his sleeves rolled up. The other leans in, holding a glass. A jug sits on a small table nearby, and a stool with a cane leans against the wall. The dark background makes the men stand out sharply. This was a common trick in Baroque art to focus attention on the scene. Next, look up Baroque to see more art that uses bold light and shadow like this.
Wallerant Vaillant (30 May 1623 – 28 August 1677) was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age and one of the first artists to use the mezzotint technique, which he probably helped to develop.
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