Old Man
Joseph Stella
American, 1877–1946
1898
A concentrated study of an elderly man’s face drawn in brown ink with crayon and watercolor on brown paper, in which Stella seeks to record the character and tactile detail of aged flesh.
What strikes you is how the carefully hatched, almost sculptural rendering of the eyes and nose seems to float in the empty sheet, tiny strokes and subtle washes giving the face a hushed, intimate presence.
This early study shows Stella’s mastery of traditional draftsmanship and the observational rigor that would inform and anchor the bold stylistic experiments of his later modernist work.
Medium
a. Pen and brown ink on brown paper. b. Crayon and watercolor on brown paper
Dimensions
8 1/2 x 8 1/8" (21.4 x 20.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Bliss Parkinson
Accession
499.1966.a-b
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
