Artwork
Landscape - Four Trees beyond a River
Landscape - Four Trees beyond a River is an ink drawing by the Romanticist artist Alphonse Legros. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Landscape - Four Trees beyond a River is a drawing created by Alphonse Legros in 1874. It is executed in pen and brown ink with brown wash on wove paper.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a serene riverbank scene with four trees in the distance, surrounded by a simple landscape of bushes and a flat field. The calm atmosphere suggests a tranquil, natural setting.
Technique & Style
Legros used delicate lines and subtle shading to achieve a soft, understated effect. The brown tones give the drawing a muted, almost monochromatic quality, evoking the feeling of a rapid study rather than a finished work.
Context
This work reflects Legros's practice as a draughtsman and printmaker during his time in London, where he was a significant figure in the British etching revival.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
Banks of the Adour (Bord de l'Adour)
At the Foot of the Hill
Near Nordkerque (Pres de Nordkerque)
River scene with a temple or palace in the clouds
Banks of the Venelle (Bord de la Venelle)
Banks of the Somme near Amiens (Bord de la Somme pres d'Amiens)
Near the Mill (Pres du moulin)
An Evening Landscape with a Distant Cathedral
Marsh (Les marais)
View of the Acqua Acetosa (recto)