1546
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
River Landscape with High Cliffs is a 1546 ink by Augustin Hirschvogel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a winding river cutting through a rocky landscape. Tall cliffs rise on either side, and small buildings peek out from behind trees. The lines are loose and quick, like a sketch made fast—no colors, just black ink on light paper. The artist used a technique called etching to create these deep, scratchy lines. It looks like they pressed ink into grooves cut into a metal plate, then wiped away the rest. Next, check out etching to see how this process works.
Augustin Hirschvogel (1503 – February 1553) was a German artist, mathematician, and cartographer known primarily for his etchings.
See the richer artist page
