Death and the Woodman in a Coastal Landscape with Ruins
1636
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1636
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This sketch shows a skeleton standing under an umbrella while a living man works nearby. The trees are twisted and full of tiny details, like birds and flowers. In the background, there’s a faint outline of buildings that look old and broken. The artist used shading to make the scene feel textured, especially in the trees and water. The skeleton’s calm stance contrasts with the man’s hard work. Next, check out the technique: cross-hatching to see how artists build depth with lines.
