Artwork
Two Beggars Fighting
Two Beggars Fighting is a print by the Baroque artist Jacques Bellange. It dates from 1615 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Two Beggars Fighting is a print depicting a violent altercation between two vagabonds, one of whom plays a hurdy-gurdy.
Subject & Meaning
The scene illustrates the perceived darker side of music's influence, with the hurdy-gurdy, an instrument associated with base and sensual qualities, being played by one of the combatants.
Technique & Style
The artist employs chiaroscuro, a technique using strong contrasts between light and dark, to emphasize the figures' tattered clothing and twisted expressions against a dark background.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacques Bellange (c. 1575–1616) was an artist and printmaker from the Duchy of Lorraine (then independent but now part of France) whose etchings and some drawings are his only securely identified works today. They are…
