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Landscape

Henri-Joseph Harpignies

1911

charcoal

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Early Modern Landscape

Dominant colour

Landscape is a 1911 charcoal by Henri-Joseph Harpignies, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Henri-Joseph Harpignies
When & what style?: 1911
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows a quiet forest scene with thick trees and a dark river in the foreground. The branches twist across the sky, and the paper has a rough, textured look. Shadows and light play across the bark and water, but everything is drawn in simple, dark lines. The artist used charcoal to build up layers, making some spots fuzzy and others sharp. The paper itself looks old, with visible fibers and a slightly uneven edge. If you like this style, look up scumbling to see how artists create texture with soft strokes.