Open full image Pin

Studies of Oxen

Walter Shirlaw

1801

graphite

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Impressionism Realism Early 19th Century Animal Cattle

Dominant colour

Studies of Oxen is a 1801 graphite by Walter Shirlaw, a Impressionism work, depicting Cattle, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Walter Shirlaw
When & what style?: 1801 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

A sheet of paper holds three oxen studies in graphite. The lines are bold and sure, showing muscle and bone. You can see the artist’s hand move across the page. This wasn’t a quick sketch. These drawings are careful studies, likely done to study anatomy for bigger paintings. The paper shows faint grid lines—artists used grids to copy shapes accurately. For more like this, see works by Walter Shirlaw at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.