Details

Title

Peasant from Interlaken

Artist/Maker

Adolph Menzel (German, 1815–1905)

Date

1885

Medium

Graphite on wove paper

Dimensions

7 1/16 x 4 5/8 inches

Credit

Purchase with funds from The Buisson Foundation

Accession #

2000.167

On View

Currently not on view

During a sojourn in Interlaken, Switzerland, Menzel made this drawing of an unknown peasant. He often chose his models from anonymous, ordinary people and was reputed to have selected sitters from a line that gathered outside his studio. This particular drawing demonstrates Menzel’s unique use of charcoal: he is credited for revolutionizing the technique of stumping, or the blending of charcoal, to create an astonishing variety of lines and textures.

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