1805
watercolor
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Provinciaux visitant les curiosités de Paris (Provinicials Visiting the Curiosities of Paris) is a 1805 watercolor by French 19th Century, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows five people in a cramped room, gawking at oddities. A man with wings leans over a table, holding a feather duster. A woman in a blue dress and a man in a tall hat stare at a small cage with a bird inside. Another man in a green coat points at something on the floor, while a child in a pink dress peeks over his shoulder. The walls look rough, and the whole scene feels crowded and chaotic. The title *Provinciaux Visiting the Curiosities of Paris* hints these folks are country bumpkins checking out Paris’s weird sights. The artist used hand-colored watercolor to give the clothes and room a soft, slightly faded look. Next, check out technique: watercolor to see how artists use it to add depth.
This sculptor liked to keep sharp tools in the studio and blunt ones in his pocket—his niece recalled finding him absentmindedly whittling a stick while talking philosophy.
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