Artwork
Windbent Cypress
Windbent Cypress 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
Overview
Ernest Haskell’s print Windbent Cypress, executed around 1910, depicts a solitary cypress perched on a craggy slope. The composition centers on the tree’s contorted trunk and sharply angled branches, which appear to be battling a strong gust. Behind the tree, fragmented lines suggest a rugged landscape that recedes into indistinct forms.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a moment of natural struggle, emphasizing the resilience of the cypress against elemental forces. By isolating the tree against a stark horizon, Haskell highlights themes of endurance and the tension between stability and the relentless pressure of wind, inviting viewers to contemplate the fragility and tenacity of living forms.
Technique & Style
Haskell employs rapid, gestural strokes that resemble incised marks on the paper, creating a sense of immediacy and motion. The line work is loose yet decisive, with angular, jagged contours that convey turbulence. The limited tonal range focuses attention on the tree’s twisted anatomy, while the background remains abstracted, reinforcing the dynamic atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1910, Windbent Cypress entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains on view. The print reflects Haskell’s early 20th‑century interest in expressive line and landscape subjects, aligning with his broader body of work that explored the interplay of line and natural form.
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.
![Tree [verso], by Perry, Enoch Wood, Jr.](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/perry-enoch-wood-jr--tree-verso--696f4264834bd30c-w320.webp)
