Madame Simon II

While in London in 1882, Zorn met Swedish artist Axel Haig, who introduced him to printmaking. Zorn was a fast, confident engraver and was heavily influenced by Rembrandt, whose prints he collected. The influence of Rembrandt's use of sharply contrasting shadow and light can be seen in Zorn's style of sketching.

In this etching of Madame Simon, which was executed in Zorn's Paris studio, ninety percent of the face is in shadow conveying a feeling of contemplation and reflection. The background is distinguished by using dots instead of lines and the directions of his marks reflect the different changes in surfaces.