Claude Lorrain (1600–82)
Landscape with Trees and Buildings
c. 1640–46
Graphite, brown and gray wash, black chalk, brush, and dark brown ink
Samuel Courtauld Trust: Princes Gate Bequest, 1978
Born in the French region of Lorraine, Claude established himself in Rome as a highly innovative landscape painter. His distinctive drawings are characterized by a thoughtful mixture of media. In his depiction of trees on this study sheet the contrast and variation of graphite, chalk, ink, and wash convey a sense of texture and volume as well as the interaction between light and shadow.