Artwork
Sunset in an Oriental Landscape
Sunset in an Oriental Landscape is a gouache drawing by the Romanticist artist Gabriel Hippolyte Lebas. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Gabriel Hippolyte Lebas's Sunset in an Oriental Landscape, dated 1850, is a mixed-media drawing combining watercolor, gouache, and gum arabic on cardboard, distinguished by its innovative textural techniques.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a serene, exotic landscape at sunset, featuring jagged cliffs, a winding river in deepening shadows, and distant, diminutive figures on a bridge, evoking a sense of tranquility and vastness.
Technique & Style
Lebas employed thin, wet layers of watercolor and gouache, supplemented by scraping and incising into the damp paint to achieve highlighted effects, notably on the cliffs where pale streaks mimic sunlight's reflection on rock.
History & Provenance
Created in 1850, specific details regarding the artwork's historical ownership or exhibition history are not provided in the available information.
Context
While the exact cultural or artistic movement context is not detailed, the piece reflects 19th-century interests in Orientalist themes and experimental watercolor techniques.
Legacy
The artwork's influence or reception over time is not specified in the provided details, though its technical innovations, such as the use of scraping for luminous effects, contribute to its artistic interest.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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