Artwork

A Giant Oak at the Edge of a Forest

A Giant Oak at the Edge of a Forest, by Cornelis Steffelaar, ink, 1844
A Giant Oak at the Edge of a Forest, by Cornelis Steffelaar, ink, 1844

A Giant Oak at the Edge of a Forest is an ink drawing by the Romanticist artist Cornelis Steffelaar. It dates from 1844 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

A Giant Oak at the Edge of a Forest is a drawing created by Cornelis Steffelaar around 1844 using pen, black ink, and wash on laid paper.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing depicts a solitary, massive oak tree with gnarled roots and a rugged trunk, evoking a sense of quiet strength and suggesting a connection to older narratives.

Technique & Style

Steffelaar employed a combination of fine pen lines and diluted ink washes to achieve texture and depth, particularly in the tree's bark, while the leaves are rendered with swift, spiky strokes, and the background is left largely blank to emphasize the tree.

Artist & collection

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.