Nicolas Lagneau (fl c. 1600–50)[1] was a French draftsman noted for his portrait drawings. He was especially interested in grotesque physiognomies, which he drew in meticulous detail either from models or from his imagination.[1] His drawings are usually executed in black and red chalk, sometimes with the addition of blue or yellow gouache.[1] In their heightened realism, and their emphasis on facial expressions, wrinkles, and deformities, Lagneau's portraits reveal the influence of Rembrandt's early works.[1]
Lagneau is not known to have painted. His drawn portraits, which were widely copied and imitated in his time, attest to a fashion for drawings of "expressive faces", which were assembled into albums by collectors.[2]
Lagneau's drawings are plentiful in French and US museums.
Notes
References
- Klingsöhr-Leroy, Cathrin. "Lagneau, Nicolas", Oxford Art Online
- Mérot, Alain (1995) [1994]. French Painting in the Seventeenth Century [La peinture française au XVIIe siècle]. New Haven, London: Yale University Press. OCLC 983926912 – via the Internet Archive.