Art Institute of Chicago

A Forest Interior, with a Seated Figure

Herman Saftleven

Date

n.d.

Medium

Black chalk and brush and brown wash, with touches of black crayon and traces of opaque white watercolor, ruled in pen and black ink at edges, on ivory laid paper

Culture

Netherlands

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

In this charming landscape study, a seated figure appears nestled among tree roots at the bend in a stream or river. The water’s gentle course seems in harmony with the irregularly formed trees and their fluttering leaves. Black chalk lines anchor the structure of the landscape elements while the varied application of brown wash in different densities contributes the more atmospheric qualities of light and moving air. Saftleven was born into a family of artists, and his penchant for landscape subjects may have been formed by his travels along the Rhine and Moselle Rivers.

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