In the Woods (Dans les bois)
1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This sketch shows a dense forest with tall, twisting trees and thick underbrush. The lines are loose and scratchy, like quick pencil strokes. Shadows blend into the light, making the woods feel deep and tangled. The artist used a drypoint technique—scratching directly into a metal plate to create texture. This method lets lines feel raw and urgent, almost like the forest itself is moving. Next, look up technique: drypoint to see how artists use metal plates to make prints.
