1896
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Centaur (Le centaure) is a 1896 ink by Auguste Lepère, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This woodcut shows a chaotic scene of a centaur tangled with a woman and other figures. The lines are sharp and busy, with lots of cross-hatching to create shadows. The background is filled with swirling trees and branches, making it feel wild and messy. The text at the bottom is in French, but it looks like a poem or story tied to the scene. The artist used only black and white, relying on texture and shading to show depth. Try looking up cross-hatching to see how this technique works in other art.
Louis-Auguste Lepère (30 November 1849 – 20 November 1918) was a French painter and etcher. Lepère is also considered a leader in the creative revival of wood engraving in Europe.
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