The Lonely Tower 1879

print, etching

pencil drawn

natural shape and form

light pencil work

print

etching

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

carved into stone

pencil drawing

england

pen-ink sketch

pencil art

watercolor

"The Lonely Tower," a print by Samuel Palmer from 1879, depicts a dark, nocturnal scene with a solitary tower silhouetted against a star-filled sky. The moon, a crescent shape, hangs low in the horizon, casting a soft glow on the landscape. The print showcases Palmer's signature style, characterized by detailed rendering of natural forms and the use of dark tones to create a sense of mystery and awe. The piece is a study in light and shadow, highlighting the beauty of the night sky and the solitude of the tower. "The Lonely Tower" is a poignant reminder of the quiet grandeur of nature and the profound beauty of the night.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

⋮

Samuel Palmer was a rhapsodic sort who spent his youth in the English countryside absorbed in the writings of Keats, Milton, and Shakespeare, convinced of the mystical perfection of nature. His dreamy vision is evident in these etchings. The Lonely Tower, created to illustrate Milton's poem Il Penseroso, depicts travelers yearning toward a distant tower while an owl passes over the chasm between them. A painstaking printmaker, Palmer worked the plate tirelessly, subjecting it to fourteen separate bitings, or soakings in an acid bath, to etch the lines just so.