Artwork
Lake Houses
Lake Houses is a charcoal drawing by the Impressionist artist Worthington Whittredge. It dates from 1801 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Lake Houses is a charcoal drawing on wove paper attributed to Worthington Whittredge, dated 1801. The composition presents a small cluster of modest dwellings set beside a tranquil lake, their simple triangular roofs mirrored in the still water beneath a broad sky.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a quiet, rural scene, emphasizing the relationship between built structures and their natural surroundings. By reflecting the houses in the lake, the drawing suggests a sense of calm symmetry and the subtle dialogue between human habitation and the landscape.
Technique & Style
Whittredge employs loose, scratchy charcoal strokes that outline the forms while retaining a softness of edge. The rough texture of the wove paper contributes to the atmospheric depth, allowing the drawing to convey both solidity of the houses and the ethereal quality of the sky and water without the use of color.
History & Provenance
Created in the early nineteenth century, the piece is part of the museum’s collection of American landscape drawings. Its acquisition details are not publicly recorded, and no further exhibition history is documented beyond its current display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Worthington Whittredge (May 22, 1820 – February 25, 1910) was an American artist of the Hudson River School.
