1890
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Untitled (Experiment—Wet Aquatint) is a 1890 ink by James David Smillie, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a dark, moody landscape with rough rocks in the foreground. A lone tree stands on a hillside, its branches bare and twisted. The sky is faint, almost lost in the smudged black and gray tones. The loose, sketchy lines suggest the artist was testing a new printmaking method—wet aquatint. This technique lets ink spread unevenly, creating soft, cloudy effects. Next, look up aquatint to see how artists use acid and resin to make prints look like watercolors.
James David Smillie was an American artist, cofounder of the American Watercolor Society and New York Etching Club. His brother was painter George Henry Smillie.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
