Artwork Page for Budding Sycamore

Details / Information for Budding Sycamore

Budding Sycamore

c. 1876

John Ruskin

(British, 1819–1900)
Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
black and gray wash, gouache, and graphite
Support
Thick, moderately textured cream wove paper
Measurements
Sheet: 34.8 x 44.8 cm (13 11/16 x 17 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1989.14
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

This drawing was used as an illustration in John Ruskin's manual on drawing, Rudimentary Studies.

Description

The most influential art critic in Britain during the 19th century, John Ruskin was also an amateur artist for whom drawing was the cornerstone of artistic practice. Since his early youth, a keen perception of the world and obsessive desire to capture nature in all of its details found expression in his drawings. In this study of a leafing sycamore in early spring, Ruskin combined exquisite detail with atmospheric rendering of space, leaving the edges of the drawing unresolved. This sheet exemplifies his belief that drawn fragments, if sensitively observed, were capable of suggesting the profound mysteries of the natural world.
A vertically oriented drawing in black and gray wash and gouache on tan paper depicts a budding sycamore tree. A thick trunk splits into three primary limbs reaching toward the upper corners. Delicate graphite lines form a web of leafless twigs, punctuated by small white dots for buds. Muted blue and gray washes create soft shadows behind the branches. Handwritten text in the lower right corner identifies the subject and artist.

Budding Sycamore

c. 1876

John Ruskin

(British, 1819–1900)
England, 19th century

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