Thunder (Un coup de foudre)
1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Thunder (Un coup de foudre) is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a dark, tangled forest with a lone figure crouching in the lower left. The person’s face is half-hidden, their body bent forward like they’re searching or fleeing. The trees loom large, their branches swirling in thick, chaotic lines that fill most of the space. The artist used sharp, scratchy marks to create light and shadow, giving the scene a rough, almost frantic feel. This style was common in etchings, where ink is pushed into metal plates to make prints. Next, check out etching, drypoint, aquatint to see how artists like Legros made these dramatic textures.
