Landscape
William Gilpin
Description
Attributed to William Gilpin
England, 1724–1804
Landscape
ca. 1750–1804
Gray wash with brown ink and white chalk
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink, 1999/1.75
Subject Matter:
This loosely rendered landscape drawing depicts a view through a mountain pass, with shadowy mountains in the foreground that provide a visual frame for a view of a third mountain in the background, well lit from the upper right corner. The drawing is attributed to William Gilpin, the late eighteenth-century traveling artist who wrote the first theory of the picturesque, entitled "Observations relative chiefly to picturesque beauty" (1786). This landscape features many of the qualities that would become key traits of the picturesque. These include an evenly balanced composition with a darkened foreground, and a path or other opening that leads the eye through the various planes of the image, often to a man-made structure or human element at the middleground, and a well-lit background that demonstrates the recession of depth.
Physical Description:
A drawing of a landscape showing a view through a mountain pass with another mountain in the background.
Usage Rights:
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