Italian Buildings on a Hillside
1744/1750
Medium
graphite on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 16.6 x 21.9 cm (6 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.) page size: 42.5 x 27.7 cm (16 3/4 x 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Mark J. Millard Architectural Collection
Accession Number
1983.49.185
Art Historical Context
Joseph-Marie Vien's *Italian Buildings on a Hills* (1744/1750) captures the charm of Italy's sun-drenched landscapes during the artist's formative years abroad. A delicate graphite drawing on laid paper measuring just 16.6 x 21.9 cm, it depicts clustered buildings perched on a verdant slope, evoking the timeless allure of rural Italian vistas. Vien, a pioneering French Neoclassicist and teacher to Jacques-Louis David, spent nearly a decade in Italy from the mid-1740s, sketching architectural motifs and scenery that would shape his mature style blending classical precision with romantic light. ...
About the Artist
Joseph-Marie Vien · 1716–1809
Joseph-Marie Vien (1716–1809) was born on 18 June in Montpellier, France, into a modest family, emerging as a child prodigy in painting. As a protégé of the Comte de Caylus, he entered the studio of Charles-Joseph Natoire at an early age, honing his skills in history painting. Winning the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1743, Vien traveled to Italy in 1744, spending six formative years in Rome studyin...