Peasant Defecating

Jacques Callot

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of a crouching figure near a tree with a goat grazing in the background. The image shows a cloaked and hooded figure squatting in the left foreground, their form defined by strong contour lines and subtle shading. The figure is nestled against a large, textured tree that extends out of the scene at the top edge. In the distance to the right, a goat with an exaggeratedly long coat bends down to graze on the ground. Sparse foliage and a single rope fence provide sparse environmental details. The use of fine line work gives the drawing a delicate and sketchy quality, emphasizing both figures and natural elements.