A Seated Man Contemplating a Sunlit Mountain Valley
c. 1825
Medium
watercolor over graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 16.5 x 26.3 cm (6 1/2 x 10 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Purchased as the Gift of Joan and David Maxwell
Accession Number
2012.60.1
Art Historical Context
In the early 19th century, artist Jakob Alt captured the sublime of the Alps in meticulous watercolors, blending Romantic idealism with precise observation. *A Seated Man Contating a Sunlit Mountain* (c. 1825) exemplifies this, showing a lone figure lost in thought before a radiant valley in golden light. Rendered in watercolor over graphite on w paper (16.5 x 26.3 cm), the work highlights Alt's masterful technique: faint graphite underdrawings provide structural accuracy, while translucent watercolors build luminous depth and atmospheric haze, evoking the era's fascination with nature's grand...