Artwork
He Maketh the Clouds His Chariot
He Maketh the Clouds His Chariot is a print by Ernest Haskell. It dates from 1910 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
This drawing shows a wild, tangled tree with gnarled branches reaching in all directions.
This drawing shows a wild, tangled tree with gnarled branches reaching in all directions. The bark looks rough, and the roots twist across the ground like dark lines. The sky is barely there—just a few faint marks above the branches.
The artist focused on the tree’s raw, uneven shapes, almost like it’s alive and moving. The lines are scratchy and uneven, giving it a rough, natural feel.
Check out more by Ernest Haskell (American, 1876–1925) to see how he worked with texture.
Overview
Created around 1910 by American artist Ernest Haskell, this ink drawing depicts a solitary, untamed tree against a nearly empty sky. Executed with deliberate, agitated lines, the work emphasizes texture and movement over detail. It resides in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art, reflecting Haskell’s interest in natural forms rendered with expressive, non-idealized brushwork.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is a wild, ancient tree whose twisted branches and gnarled roots dominate the composition. Its form suggests resilience and organic chaos, evoking a sense of primal energy. The minimal sky implies isolation, focusing attention on the tree’s physical presence. The image conveys no narrative, instead inviting contemplation of nature’s untamed vitality.
Technique & Style
Haskell employed scratchy, uneven ink lines to mimic the roughness of bark and the erratic growth of roots. The drawing avoids smooth contours, using varied pressure and broken strokes to suggest texture and motion. The absence of shading or background detail heightens the immediacy of the form, aligning with a direct, almost gestural approach to natural subjects.
History & Provenance
The work was produced during Haskell’s active period in the early 20th century, when he frequently explored botanical subjects through drawing. It entered The Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through documented acquisition, though its exact provenance prior to museum ownership remains unrecorded in public sources.
Context
Haskell worked amid a broader American interest in naturalism and expressive draftsmanship, influenced by both European modernism and indigenous artistic traditions. His focus on raw, unidealized forms aligned with contemporaries who rejected polished academic styles, favoring direct observation and emotional resonance in depictions of nature.
Legacy
Though not widely known today, Haskell’s drawings like this one contribute to an understudied strand of early 20th-century American art that prioritized tactile texture and organic form. His work offers insight into how artists of the time engaged with nature not as picturesque subject, but as dynamic, living force.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ernest Haskell was an American artist and illustrator, internationally famous in his lifetime and remembered for his etchings, as well as engravings, pen-and-ink drawings, lithographs and watercolors.
