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Clap of Thunder

Alphonse Legros

1874

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Late 19th Century Allegory

Dominant colour

Clap of Thunder is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Alphonse Legros
When & what style?: 1874 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows a dramatic scene of two horses tangled in a stormy landscape. One horse rears up, its mane whipping wildly, while the other lies half-buried in the churned earth. Trees twist like broken branches, and the sky is a swirl of dark, chaotic lines. The artist used quick, rough strokes to show movement and chaos. The ink looks almost like a storm itself—dark and urgent. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how artists build texture with lines.