1884
graphite
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Thebes is a 1884 graphite by Edward Lear, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a quiet riverside scene near Thebes. The river bends away under a low sky, with a few simple buildings along the bank. Edward Lear used soft grays and black wash to build the shapes, then left faint pencil lines showing through. Lear often drew places he visited, and this looks like a quick study. The loose wash suggests movement, like the river is still flowing. You can almost feel the still air on a warm day. Compare this to Edward Lear’s other works. Look for more of his watercolors at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised but which term he never used.
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