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Classical Landscape

1779

Pierre Henri de Valenciennes

(French, 1750–1819)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
black gouache and brush and gray wash, over black chalk and graphite, heightened with white gouache
Support
Green laid paper
Measurements
Sheet: 41.3 x 48.3 cm (16 1/4 x 19 in.); Secondary Support: 43.6 x 52.1 cm (17 3/16 x 20 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1980.91
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

The ritual seen here, in which women cut their hair and offer it to a god, is rarely depicted in the visual arts.

Description

The leading landscape painter of the late 18th century, Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes was also an important theoretician whose book Elements of Practical Perspective influenced generations of French artists who followed. In the book, the artist described two ways of envisioning nature: "seeing it as it is," and "seeing it as it could be." He preferred the latter, believing that it demanded more of the imagination than merely copying the natural world. The perfection of the setting in this drawing reflects the noble, classical subject: three maidens cutting their hair and offering it on an altar to a river god.
A monochromatic wash drawing depicts a classical landscape in muted grays. On the left, a figure with a staff reclines against a jar pouring water. To the right, three women in rippling gowns stand by a circular pedestal in a shallow stream. A river meanders past a hilltop temple, while towering, jagged cliffs and dense, dark trees rise under a clouded sky, creating a sense of atmospheric depth.

Classical Landscape

1779

Pierre Henri de Valenciennes

(French, 1750–1819)
France, 18th century

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