1853
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Le stryge (The Vampire) is a 1853 ink by Charles Meryon, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a cityscape with a tall clock tower rising over rooftops. In the foreground, a giant hand holds a face—half skull, half fleshy—like a mask. The buildings below are packed tight, with tiny details like windows and bridges. The title hints at something spooky, but the real trick is how the artist used lines to make the city feel both real and dreamlike. The hand looks like it’s pulling the face out of the scene. Want to see how artists used this same sharp-line style? Try etching.
Charles Meryon (sometimes Méryon, 23 November 1821 – 14 February 1868) was a French artist who worked almost entirely in etching, as he had colour blindness.
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