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A Stand of Trees [recto]

John Varley

1810

graphite

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Landscape

Dominant colour

A Stand of Trees [recto] is a 1810 graphite by John Varley, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: John Varley
When & what style?: 1810 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows a dark, rough mass of trees on the left, their branches tangled and heavy. To the right, a flat, open field stretches out with faint lines that might be a road or fence. The sky is barely there—just a few smudges of gray. The artist used loose, watery brushstrokes, letting the brown-gray wash blur edges. It’s not polished; it looks like a quick study, not a finished painting. Next, check out Romanticism to see how artists used nature this way.