Nicolas Lagneau (fl c. 1600–50)Klingsöhr-Leroy was a French

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for m ...

noted for his portrait drawings. He was especially interested in

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

physiognomies Physiognomy (from the Greek , , meaning "nature", and , meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general ...

, which he drew in meticulous detail either from models or from his imagination. His drawings are usually executed in black and red chalk, sometimes with the addition of blue or yellow

gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache h ...

. In their heightened realism, and their emphasis on facial expressions, wrinkles, and deformities, Lagneau's portraits reveal the influence of

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

's early works. 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.Conisbee, Philip, and Jean-Pierre Cuzin (1996). ''Georges de La Tour and His World''. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 193. . Lagneau's drawings are plentiful in French and US museums.

Notes

References

*Klingsöhr-Leroy, Cathrin. "Lagneau, Nicolas", ''Oxford Art Online'' * Baroque draughtsmen French draughtsmen {{France-artist-stub