Le Boulevard Poissoniere

About this work

This sketch shows a busy street scene with a tall tree in the center. People are walking, sitting, and talking in the background, while three men in the foreground carry a long pole between them. The buildings look old and slightly run-down, with arched doorways and balconies. The whole image is drawn in black lines with no color, giving it a rough, sketchy feel. The artist used a technique that scratches into metal plates to create the lines—this is called etching. The scene looks like everyday life, but the way it’s drawn is loose and quick, almost like a snapshot. Next, look up etching to see how this method works.