Artwork
View of a Farm, 2nd plate (La ferme de Bienheureux)
View of a Farm, 2nd plate (La ferme de Bienheureux) is an ink print 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
Alphonse Legros produced the etching *View of a Farm, 2nd plate (La ferme de Bienheureux)* in 1874. Executed in the traditional intaglio process, the work presents a quiet countryside scene, with a modest farmhouse set amid a densely treed landscape. The composition balances foreground grass with distant architecture, rendered in a restrained tonal palette.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures a tranquil farmstead, emphasizing the relationship between built structures and the surrounding natural environment. By foregrounding the foliage and allowing the house to recede, Legros suggests a harmonious coexistence of human habitation and rural landscape, a theme common in mid‑nineteenth‑century depictions of agrarian life.
Technique & Style
Legros employed a fine, tonal etching technique, using delicate lines and varied burr to model the texture of trees, grass, and sky. The dark, atmospheric values create depth, while the subtle gradations of tone give the scene a three‑dimensional quality without relying on heavy cross‑hatching.
History & Provenance
Born in France, Legros moved to London in 1863 and later naturalised as a British citizen. By the 1870s he was an influential teacher at the Royal Academy Schools, where he advocated for a revival of the etching medium. This print reflects his pedagogical emphasis on precise draftsmanship and tonal control.
Context
The work belongs to a period when British artists were re‑engaging with the etching revival, drawing inspiration from Continental Romanticism and the realistic observation of rural scenes. Legros’s French origins and London base positioned him as a conduit for continental techniques within the British printmaking community.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
