Wady Mokatteb

Edward Lear

1849

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century

About this work

This sketch shows rough, quick lines of a rocky, desert landscape. Tiny buildings sit in the distance, and a few figures wander near them. The drawing is light and scratchy, like it was made fast with pen and ink. The artist wrote the title *Wady Mokatteb* and the date 1849 in the corner. The loose, sketchy style suggests they were working outdoors, jotting down what they saw. Next, check out cross-hatching to see how artists build texture with lines.