1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Study for the Prodigal Son (Etude pour L'enfant prodigue) is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows three tall trees in a dim forest. Their trunks twist tightly, and the branches tangle above like thick ropes. The bark looks rough, almost textured, with sharp lines marking every crack. Light barely reaches the ground, leaving shadows deep between the trees. The artist used fine, scratchy lines to build up the dark shapes—this is how they made the trees feel solid yet mysterious. The date "1897" and the artist’s signature are scrawled in the corner, almost like an afterthought. If you like this style, look up etching, drypoint, aquatint to see how artists create these deep, scratchy textures.
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
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