Two Dogs

1912

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Impressionism Realism Early Modern Animal

About this work

This sketch shows two dogs standing close together. One dog has its head lowered, almost resting on the other’s back. The lines are loose and quick, with shading that makes their fur look textured but not too detailed. The artist focused on how light falls across their bodies, making some areas darker and others lighter. This was a common way to show depth in drawings back then. Next, check out chiaroscuro to see how artists use light and shadow like this.