Sketches on the Road from Al-Masmiyah to Deir Ali, Syria
April 28, 1868
Classification
drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Louis P. Church
Accession Number
1917-4-915
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Frederic Edwin Church, a master of the Hudson River School for his luminous, panoramic landscapes, ventured far beyond America's shores for inspiration. In spring 1868, during an ambitious Middle Eastern tour, he sketched "Sketches on the Road from Alasmiyah to Deir Ali, Syria" on April 28. intimate drawing captures the artist's keen eye amid travel from a village near Damascus to the ancient site of Deir Ali, the era's Romantic fascination with biblical lands and exotic terrains. As a quick roadside study, the work showcases Church's meticulous observation skills, likely rendered in pencil o...