Artwork
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood is an ink print by the Impressionist artist William Langson Lathrop. It dates from 1887 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Little Red Riding Hood is an 1887 etching by William Langson Lathrop, an American Impressionist. Created early in his career, it predates his association with Pennsylvania Impressionism. The work depicts a scene from the traditional fairy tale, rendered in a style characteristic of etching.
Subject & Meaning
The etching portrays a girl in a red hood navigating a dense, dark forest. The vivid red hood serves as a visual beacon, potentially symbolizing caution or vulnerability amidst the ominous, animate-seeming trees.
Technique & Style
Executed in etching and drypoint, the piece showcases Lathrop's use of scratched lines on a metal plate to achieve detailed, expressive linework. The technique emphasizes texture and shadow, lending the forest an almost sentient quality.
History & Provenance
Created in 1887, during Lathrop's early career, before he became a key figure in Pennsylvania Impressionism. Lathrop was a member of the National Academy of Design and participated in major exhibitions.
Context
While Lathrop is better known for landscape painting and his role in the New Hope art colony, this etching reflects the broader artistic explorations of his early period. For similar linework, compare with the etchings of James McNeill Whistler.
Legacy
Little Red Riding Hood remains a notable example of Lathrop's early experimentation with etching, highlighting his technical skill and interpretive approach to a classic narrative theme.
Artist & collection
Artist
William Langson Lathrop (pronounced "LAY-throp") (March 29, 1859 – September 21, 1938) was an American Impressionist landscape painter and founder of the art colony in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where he was an influential founder of…
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