Accession Number
1960/2.17

Title
Landscape with Figures

Artist(s)
Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)

Object Creation Date
17th century

Medium & Support
pen and ink on buff laid paper

Dimensions
7 15/16 in x 11 9/16 in (20.1 cm x 29.4 cm);12 1/16 in x 15 5/16 in (30.64 cm x 38.89 cm);10 7/16 in x 14 3/16 in (26.51 cm x 36.04 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Label copy
Gallery Rotation Fall 2011
Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)
Italy, 1591–1666
Landscape with Figures
17th century
Pen and ink on buff laid paper
Museum purchase, 1960/2.17
In contrast to the drawing of the child’s head (adjacent) that shows Guercino’s mastery of the pen and ink medium, this landscape demonstrates the rapidity and fluidity of Guercino’s draftsmanship. The great drama of the work comes from the juxtaposition of immovable stone with the wind-blown trees. Guercino employs the dark accents of heavily applied ink and the untouched white of the paper to evoke a scene in bright sunlight.

Subject matter
Many of Guercino's drawings demonstrate a fluidity and rapidity of execution. This landscape is filled with bright light and the position of shadows suggest that the work was executed at midday when the shadows are strong and the light directly overhead. The drama of this work comes not from the groupings of figures but from the juxtaposition of the fixed rock formations and the wind-blown trees.

Physical Description
This black ink drawing shows a landscape scene with a large rocky formation on the banks of a river. A figure, holding a long staff, is seated at the base of the rocky formation and two others stand nearby. The opposite bank of the river is shown in the foreground with bushy vegetation and a group of figures seated at the water's edge. In the distance on the left is a bridge and buildings and on the right there are buildings and figures walking together. The thin pen strokes are quickly drawn and wider strokes of black create depth and shading for this scene.

Primary Object Classification
Drawing

Primary Object Type
landscape

Collection Area
Western

Rights
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Keywords
Landscapes
buildings
trees