The Meadow at Grave, near Villerville (Le Pre des Graves, a Villerville)
1875
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1875
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Daubigny’s 1875 etching shows a quiet riverbank near Villerville. Tall grasses lean over still water. A small boat floats empty on the far side. This print isn’t a quick sketch. Daubigny worked it carefully with two tools: an etching needle for lines and a drypoint needle to scratch fuzzy shadows into the plate. Look closely at the trees—see how their edges dissolve into soft blur? That’s drypoint at work.
