Artwork
Aeneas in the Underworld
Aeneas in the Underworld is an ink drawing by the Romanticist artist Roman 18th/19th Century. It dates from 1780 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Aeneas in the Underworld is a drawing executed in pen and brown ink with wash over graphite on laid paper. It depicts a scene with three figures in a dreamlike environment.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing shows a kneeling figure holding a staff, another standing nearby, and a third floating above amidst swirling clouds, set against a rocky ground. The scene evokes a ghostly, otherworldly atmosphere, suggesting a narrative that is not fully resolved.
Technique & Style
The artist employed rapid, expressive lines and smudgy ink washes to convey movement and emotion, resulting in a dynamic yet somewhat ambiguous representation. The use of graphite underdrawing and brown ink border line adds to the overall effect.
Artist & collection
Artist
This artist carved and drew in the late 1700s and early 1800s, working in bronze and ink.
The Death of Priam
Circe and Ulysses
Death of Phaeton
Satan Starts from the Touch of Ithuriel's Spear
Psyche Giving Her Coin to Charon
The Float of Mount Parnassus
Untitled
Ceiling Decoration
The Stigmatization of Saint Francis
Scene from the Inferno (canto IX)
Study for a Ceiling: Allegory of the Harvest with Dionysus and Ceres
The Harpies Attacking Aeneas and His Companions