Artwork

A View in Italy with Mountains in the Distance

A View in Italy with Mountains in the Distance, by Richard Wilson, gouache, 1754
A View in Italy with Mountains in the Distance, by Richard Wilson, gouache, 1754

A View in Italy with Mountains in the Distance is a gouache drawing by the Romanticist artist Richard Wilson. It dates from 1754 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

A View in Italy with Mountains in the Distance is a drawing by Richard Wilson, executed circa 1754 in chalk, stumping, and white gouache on buff paper.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing depicts a serene Italian landscape featuring rolling hills, a distant village, a solitary tree in the foreground, and sparse human and animal activity along a dirt path, evoking a sense of peacefulness.

Technique & Style

Wilson employed a combination of chalk, stumping, and white gouache to achieve a gentle, sketchy appearance, characteristic of quick landscape studies during this period.

History & Provenance

The work is part of the collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

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.