Riverscape with Hikers and a Dog 1778 - 1805

Heinrich Theodor Wehle created this Riverscape with Hikers and a Dog, on paper, using pen and black ink and gray wash. Wash is made by diluting ink or watercolor with water, and it’s often used by artists to add tone to a drawing. Consider how the inherent qualities of the ink and wash influence the work's appearance. Look closely at the forms of the trees. Notice how the lines of the branches have a flowing quality. This sense of dynamism may be due to the nature of the materials themselves: thin, fluid ink, and a pointed pen. See how the artist used the gray wash to create tone, building up layers to give solidity to the forms of the leaves and trunks. The social context of this landscape is evoked by the figures of the hikers, rendered in the same tonal range as the trees. The act of drawing, like the act of hiking, depends on direct engagement with the natural world. Materials, making, and context are essential to understanding the meaning of this drawing.