Artwork
Castel San Elmo (from Cropsey Album)
Castel San Elmo (from Cropsey Album) is a watercolor work on paper by the Hudson River School artist Jasper Francis Cropsey. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Castel San Elmo (from Cropsey Album) is a watercolor landscape by Jasper Francis Cropsey, created in 1848. It is a mixed-media work on dark buff-colored paper.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts Castel San Elmo, a stone fortress on a hill, viewed from below. The artist's focus is on capturing the building's form and light effects.
Technique & Style
Cropsey employed a range of techniques, including graphite, white gouache, and watercolor. The dark paper is a key element, with white gouache used to highlight the building's bright edges. The surrounding landscape is rendered in loose, sketchy strokes.
History & Provenance
The work was created while Cropsey was traveling in Italy, suggesting it is a study made during his travels. The unfinished quality of the surrounding landscape supports this interpretation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jasper Francis Cropsey was an American architect and artist. He is best known for his Hudson River School landscape paintings.
Sketches made during the Campaign of 1854-55 in the Crimea, Circassia and Constantinople
Topographical drawing
Harlech Castle, North Wales
Part of Macao Bay, looking west
Convent of Xirapatamo
Schloss Landstuhl b. Kaisers, Lautern, den Prinzen v. Sickingen gehürig
Harlech Castle, Wales
View of Salzburg
Manalva Palace
The Rev. Mr. Vatchell's house (formerly Mr. Thornhill's), Macao
Untitled
Torre dei Schiavi, The Roman Campagna (from Cropsey Album)