Facade for a Church with a Sculpture Representing Faith
1768
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1768
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This drawing shows a church front with three tall columns and a triangular pediment. Above the door is a niche with a statue of a robed figure holding a cross. On either side of the columns, two smaller statues stand in arched frames. The walls are plain with subtle shading, and the whole scene looks like a sketch for a building. The artist used light and shadow to give the drawing depth, almost like a stage set. The niche statue looks like it’s meant to symbolize faith, but the drawing itself is more about how the building would look than the story behind it. If you like this style, check out cross-hatching to see how artists build shadows with lines.
