blog 2

Tervueren Castle

Artist: Flanders (1604 (?))

Date: ca. 1604–05

Culture: Flemish

Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown ink, over traces of black chalk. On the verso, in pen and brown ink, studies of five figures standing near a tree, and some mathematical calculations.

Dimensions: 5 1/4 x 7 7/8 in. (13.3 x 20 cm)

Classification: Drawings

Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975

Accession Number:1975.1.826

Not on view

The drawing is a beautiful image of the castle. The artist used different ways to make the drawing, he used pen, brush and chalk to add details to his work.  The artist wanted to draw the castle and he tried to make it as real as possible, I believe it a lake that is in front of the castle and although I really cant distinguish foreground, background or middle ground I would consider that it still has them. The foreground is the lake and some plantation, the middle ground is the castle, and the background is the sky. The artist uses lines and shapes as patterns, the lines is what makes up most of the castle, and to add detail to the castle, he used shadowing, and value/light.

Much of the drawing has lines and all lines merge together to form images of walls, and pillars, or the bridge in the background. The artist very beautifully and cunningly keeps the viewer’s eyes on jus the castle it self, its hard to notice the lake or other building in the background. The artist took special care of drawing each window, and brick and as well as to give it a more “ruin” kind of feel he added this little little you could say plants, or leaves which grow on walls of old ruins, or forts. He not only gave detail to the castle but also the lake was not left unattended he used value and light here to add details of reflections, waves in the water etc. the drawing looks beautiful and everything about makes it seem almost real but the fact that he signed it at the bottom, only a few scribbles of his signature remain, prove it to me that it’s a drawing and it snapped me out of the illusion to realize that its just a beautiful image captured in this drawing.