1812
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Landscape with Hills and Water is a 1812 chalk by John Sell Cotman, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a quiet scene of rolling hills meeting a winding river. The paper is a pale blue, and the artist used dark chalk to suggest shadows and texture. The lines are loose, almost like quick notes—no hard edges, just soft strokes. The blue paper isn’t an accident. Artists sometimes used colored paper in the 1800s to save time mixing paints, and this sketch feels like a fast study. The hills look rough, almost like they’re made of quick, overlapping strokes. Next, check out Romanticism to see how artists used nature to show big emotions.
John Sell Cotman (16 May 1782 – 24 July 1842) was an English marine and landscape painter, etcher, illustrator, and a leading member of the Norwich School of painters.
See the richer artist page
