A Blasted Tree (recto)
1851
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1851
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This pencil drawing shows a dead tree with broken branches against a stormy sky. The bark is rough and split. Dark clouds loom behind it. Cropsey made this study to plan a bigger painting. He wanted to show nature’s power in one small spot. The tree looks like it lost a fight with the wind. This work feels like a sketch you’d see in a studio, not a finished piece. Look up Jasper F. Cropsey (American, 1823–1900) for more of his stormy scenes.
![Mont Sainte-Victoire [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/ac2b35e7d8893d5c/thumb.webp)
