Vallée de Luce (Beaufort-sur-Doron, Savoyen) 

Here we see a landscape made by Dupon, depicting Vallée de Luce with graphite and gray wash on paper. The drawing has a remarkable tonal range, achieved through careful layering. Paper is such a humble material, made of processed plant fibers. Wash and graphite, similarly, are among the most unassuming of artistic media. Yet in Dupon’s hands, these modest materials describe monumental, mountainous terrain. We can imagine the artist carefully building up the image, stroke by stroke, attending to the subtle gradations of light and shadow. The artist's technique conveys both the grandeur and the everyday reality of the valley. The buildings and figures are rendered with the same attentive care as the peaks and slopes. The entire scene is unified by the artist’s touch. This work reminds us that even the most seemingly straightforward depictions of the world are, at heart, acts of skillful construction.