Seventeenth-Century Poet 1965

"Seventeenth-Century Poet" is a 1965 lithograph by American artist Leonard Baskin (1922-2000). The work depicts a bust-length portrait of a man wearing a large, frilled collar, a common fashion in the 17th century. Baskin's signature style of intense linework and expressive details gives the portrait a haunting and melancholic quality, capturing the essence of the poet's contemplative nature. The sparse background and the emphasis on the man's face further enhances the feeling of introspection and solitude. This is a powerful example of Baskin's expressive use of the lithograph medium.