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Landscape

1870–84

François-Auguste Ravier

(French, 1814–1895)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
watercolor and gouache with graphite and traces of black chalk
Measurements
Sheet: 27.7 x 35.9 cm (10 7/8 x 14 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mme. Félix Thiollier 1920.725
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

François-Auguste Ravier was initially influenced by the Barbizon tradition, but as he matured, his work became increasingly subjective and expressive. This highly worked drawing depicts the landscape around Morestel, near the artist’s native Lyon. Rather than focusing on cultivated fields of the region, Ravier preferred isolated ponds, woods, and plains that convey a poignant sense of his solitude and detachment from the Parisian art world. Ravier’s watercolors were carefully considered studio works, distillations of remembered experiences in nature. In his writing, Ravier spoke of how the most beautiful landscapes of all were those in his dreams.
A horizontal watercolor depicts a jagged stone ruin atop a green-brown slope. To the left, two spindly, leafless trees rise through clusters of vibrant red and yellow foliage. The sky is streaked diagonally with light blue and tan, casting a soft haze over muted brown hills. Thick brushstrokes throughout create a textured landscape, focusing on the ruin while the background recedes into a pale, hazy horizon.

Landscape

1870–84

François-Auguste Ravier

(French, 1814–1895)
France, 19th century

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