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Italian Landscape with Fortifications and a Waterfall

Gaspard Dughet

1664

chalk

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque Landscape

Dominant colour

Italian Landscape with Fortifications and a Waterfall is a 1664 chalk by Gaspard Dughet, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Gaspard Dughet
When & what style?: 1664 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows a quiet landscape with trees, a rocky hillside, and a waterfall tumbling down. In the distance, there’s a ruined building with crumbling walls and a few standing columns. The artist used soft black and white chalk on a blue-tinted paper, giving the scene a cool, misty feel. The way the artist shaded the rocks and trees with light and dark lines creates depth, almost like you could reach out and touch the texture. This style was common in the 1600s for making landscapes feel real. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how this technique works in other art.