Bridge over a Cascade
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
32 x 54 1/8 in. (81.3 x 137.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906
Accession Number
07.225.264a
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hubert Robert, the 18th-century French painter called "Robert des Ru," masterfully captured the grandeur of imagined landscapes in *Bridge over a Cascade*. This oil on canvas, measuring 32 x 54 1/8 inches, depicts a dramatic stone bridge arching over a rushing waterfall, framed by lush foliage, grazing cows, and sturdy horses. Robert's compositions blend real architectural motifs with fantastical elements, evoking the Romantic sublime—a sense of awe at nature's power and human ingenuity. Painted in oil on canvas, a medium Robert favored for its luminous effects and rich textures, the work sho...
About the Artist
Hubert Robert · 1733–1808
Hubert Robert, born on May 22, 1733, in Paris, emerged from a modest background; his father, Nicolas Robert, served the influential Choiseul family, whose patronage shaped the young artist's path. After completing his studies at the Jesuit Collège de Navarre in 1751, he entered the atelier of sculptor Michel-Ange Slodtz, who taught him design and perspective before encouraging a shift to painting....