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The canvas, monumental in size (186 cm × 120 cm; 73 in × 47 in), is the largest currently attributed to the painter.It represents, full length and to scale, a blind beggar singing and accompanying himself on the hurdy-gurdy. A small dog who lies by his side on a leash probably serves as his guide. The shallow depth is suggested by pebbles and cobblestone in the foreground, and by the intersection of two side walls blocking the background, the left one in shadow, the right one illuminated by a light whose source is located in front of the frame, on the left. The shadow of the old man stands out clearly on the ground and extends onto the wall, at the right edge of the frame.
The old man has a dramatic and pitiful side at the same time, which is reinforced by the bareness of the decor, the harshness of the lighting, the voice frozen in the open mouth, and the man's unstable stance emphasized by his advanced left foot. The shining eyes that the little dog directs at the spectator, in contrast to the closed eyes of the blind man, add to the melancholy of the scene.
hurdy-gurdy