Hercules Driving Envy from the Temple of the Muses
Medium
chiaroscuro woodcut (in black and gray)
Dimensions
{"sheet":{"height":0.295,"width":0.225}}
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Ralph King
Accession Number
1925.443
Tags
male
About this artwork
The term chiaroscuro combines the Italian words chiaro (light) and scuro (dark). Invented to emulate drawings with light and dark pigments on tinted paper, the printing technique uses multiple woodblocks to layer different tones of color. Here, Ugo da Carpi—the progenitor of the chiaroscuro woodcut in Italy—used two blocks in black and gray on a beige paper. In this allegory, not linked to a particular myth, Hercules applies his brute force in the service of art and knowledge. Pointing toward th...