A Landscape with a Great Tree
1628
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
About the artist
Artist
Herman van Swanevelt
Herman van Swanevelt (1603–1655) was a Dutch artist, born in Woerden.
See the richer artist page1628
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
A Landscape with a Great Tree is a 1628 ink by Herman van Swanevelt, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a lone tree standing on a rocky shore. The water below is choppy, with small waves crashing against the land. In the distance, a faint line of hills or cliffs stretches across the horizon, all drawn in soft brown ink. The artist used quick, overlapping lines to build up shadows and texture—like scratching with a pen. It looks a little rough, but that’s how they made the light and dark parts pop. Next, check out cross-hatching to see how artists like this create depth with lines.
Herman van Swanevelt (1603–1655) was a Dutch artist, born in Woerden.
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