Village Among the Trees
Medium
Pen and brown ink, heightened with opaque white watercolor and touches of pink and yellow watercolor, over black chalk, on blue tinted laid paper, laid down on laid paper
Dimensions
Primary support: 23.8 × 39.4 cm (9 3/8 × 15 9/16 in.); Secondary support: 33.9 × 49 cm (13 3/8 × 19 5/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23119
Art Historical Context
Created around 1560, *Village Among the Trees* exemplifies the growing interest in landscape as an independent subject during the Northern Renaissance. The anonymous artist known as the Master of the Small Landscapes produced intimate, meticulously observed rural scenes that helped elevate everyday countryside views to the level of serious art. These works often circulated as designs for prints, spreading the new appreciation for natural settings across Europe. The drawing’s delicate technique enhances its atmospheric quality. Using pen and brown ink over black chalk on blue-tinted paper, the...