Landscape with Mercury and Argus
1750
unspecified
From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst
This painting shows a rocky, wooded hillside with a winding path. A man in a hat stands on a ledge, holding a staff, while another person lies asleep nearby. Below, a white cow with curved horns grazes near a small stream. The sky is bright, but the shadows on the cliffs are deep and dark. The man on the ledge looks like he’s watching something far away. The artist used strong contrasts between light and dark to make the scene feel dramatic. Look up *chiaroscuro* next to see how this lighting trick works.
