Artwork
A Rocky Hillside with Dead and Dying Trees
A Rocky Hillside with Dead and Dying Trees is an ink drawing by the Romanticist artist Adolphe Etienne Viollet-Le-Duc II. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:by later hand, lower right in pen and brown ink: Dessin de Viollet Le Duc,/architecte; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: [mounter's notes]
About this work
Overview
Adolphe Étienne Viollet‑Le‑Duc II’s drawing titled A Rocky Hillside with Dead and Dying Trees was executed in 1848. Rendered with pen and brown ink complemented by graphite on tan wove paper, the work measures a modest size typical of preparatory sketches and captures a stark, windswept landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a steep, craggy slope populated by twisted, skeletal trees. Their gnarled trunks and sparse foliage suggest a scene of decay and resilience, evoking the harshness of a barren environment where vegetation clings to survival despite evident decline.
Technique & Style
Viollet‑Le‑Duc employs dense cross‑hatching to model the trees’ shadows, creating a textured surface that conveys both depth and the roughness of bark. The ink lines are uneven and forceful, while the graphite highlights the paper’s natural tone, allowing lighter areas to emerge where the drawing’s substrate remains untouched.
History & Provenance
Created in the mid‑nineteenth century, the drawing reflects the artist’s interest in topographical studies and atmospheric effects. It remains part of the artist’s oeuvre of landscape sketches, though specific details of its ownership trail after its creation are not widely documented.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Adolphe Etienne Viollet-Le-Duc II
Adolphe Etienne Viollet-Le-Duc II (1817–1878) was an artist.
