A Woodland Pond
1870
charcoal
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1870
charcoal
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This sketch shows a quiet pond surrounded by tangled trees and rocks. The lines are loose and quick, like hurried pencil strokes. Light gray wash gives a faint sense of water and sky, but the focus stays on the rough branches and uneven ground. The artist used charcoal and wash to keep it simple and sketchy, almost like a quick note of nature. This style was part of a bigger shift in how artists saw landscapes—less polished, more real. Next, check out Impressionism to see how this sketch fits into that movement.
![A Stand of Trees [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/88424b951e70bc89/thumb.webp)
