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Village Street

Walter Griffin

1922

pastel

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Early Modern

Dominant colour

Village Street is a 1922 pastel by Walter Griffin, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Walter Griffin
When & what style?: 1922
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This painting shows a busy street scene with lots of tiny, overlapping lines and shapes. The colors are mostly blues, browns, and light grays, giving it a fuzzy, sketchy look. You can just make out buildings, trees, and maybe people, but everything blends together in a messy, crowded way. The artist used pastel sticks on paper, which makes the colors soft and smudgy. It feels like a quick, rough sketch rather than a polished drawing. Next, check out the technique: pastel to see how artists use this medium.