Artwork

Nile Journey, No. 20

Nile Journey, No. 20, by Elihu Vedder, charcoal, 1890
Nile Journey, No. 20, by Elihu Vedder, charcoal, 1890

Nile Journey, No. 20 is a charcoal drawing by the Impressionist artist Elihu Vedder. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Nile Journey, No.

About this work

Overview

Nile Journey, No. 20 is a drawing created by Elihu Vedder in 1890 using charcoal and crayon on blue-gray wove paper. It is one of the artist's works from a period when he was exploring symbolic and literary themes in his art.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing depicts a procession of camels traversing a desert landscape, with a rocky outcropping in the background. The simple, expressive lines and loose shapes convey a sense of movement and immediacy.

Technique & Style

Vedder employed rapid, gestural marks to capture the camels' movement, leveraging the blue-gray paper to enhance the contrast with the dark outlines. The use of scumbling and loose strokes adds texture to the work, creating a dynamic visual effect.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Elihu Vedder

Artist

Elihu Vedder

Elihu Vedder (26 February 1836 – 29 January 1923) was an American symbolist painter, book illustrator and poet from New York City.

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