The Four Ruined Arches
1628
ink
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
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Four Ruined Arches is a 1628 ink by Herman van Swanevelt, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows four broken stone arches in an overgrown landscape. The arches stand crooked, half-buried in grass and weeds. A few thin trees lean against them, as if the ruins are too tired to stand straight. This was made in the 1600s, back when artists loved ruins. Swanevelt used a needle to scratch lines onto a metal plate. Ink gets pushed into the scratches, then pressed onto paper. That’s called etching. Look at the shadows under each arch. They’re deep and sharp. If you like this, check out Rembrandt’s etchings—he did similar dark, moody lines.
Herman van Swanevelt (1603–1655) was a Dutch artist, born in Woerden.
See the richer artist page
