Reverie
1835
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1835
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Reverie is a 1835 ink by Paul Gavarni, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a lone figure wrapped in a long coat, leaning on a cane. Their head is tilted back, eyes closed, as if lost in thought. The background is just a few quick lines—no details, just a sense of space. The artist used loose, sketchy lines and shading to suggest fabric and movement. The paper is dark, so the white highlights make the coat glow faintly. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists build shadows with lines.
