The Large Tree

Wilhelm Leibl

1874

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Late 19th Century Landscape broad-leaved tree

About this work

This etching shows a dark, gnarled tree with thick branches twisting against a plain background. The lines look rough but controlled, like the artist carved them with care. Leibl used three techniques at once: etching, drypoint, and aquatint. That mix gives the tree both soft tones and sharp edges in the same print. Try drypoint next—it’s where an artist scratches lines into a metal plate.