The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist

Anton Maria Zanetti the Elder|Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola)

1722 · Chiaroscuro woodcut, with dark brown line block and medium brown and mustard yellow tone blocks · Drawings and Prints

By trading the harmony of brown and yellow for the clash of red and green, Zanetti explored the impact of color on the appearance of his prints. The ochre inks in the work on the LEFT depict the shading of figures, drapery, and architecture within a narrow range of colors that evokes the restraint of a monochromatic image. The translation into red and green yields an unnatural palette that gives the scene an unsettling air. Such effects were easy to investigate with chiaroscuro woodcuts—images formed by successively printing multiple woodblocks, each in its own color.

Artist

Anton Maria Zanetti the Elder|Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola)

Date

1722

Medium

Chiaroscuro woodcut, with dark brown line block and medium brown and mustard yellow tone blocks

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932