1838
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Architecture of the Middle Ages: Staircase, St. Maclou, Rouen is a 1838 by Joseph Nash, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This black-and-white drawing shows a grand stone staircase inside a church. Two people sit on the steps—a man with a cane and a child beside him. The walls are thick with carvings, and tall columns line the space. Stained-glass windows let in dim light, and a small altar sits in the background. The artist focused on the heavy, detailed carvings and the shadows they create. This was a way to show how old buildings feel both powerful and worn. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how artists use light and shadow like this.
Joseph Nash (17 December 1809 – 19 December 1878) was an English watercolour painter and lithographer, specialising in historical buildings. His major work was the 4-volume Mansions of England in the Olden Time, published from 1839–49.
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