Storm on the Dune 1908 - 1909

"Storm on the Dune" was made by Auguste-Louis Lepère around the turn of the century and now resides in the Art Institute of Chicago. Executed with etching, drypoint, and aquatint, Lepère masterfully uses line and tone to convey the raw energy of a storm. The composition is divided between the tumultuous sky and the exposed dune landscape. The scene is dominated by vertical strokes that convey the downpour, almost obscuring a central source of light. This contrasts with the lower half of the image where the landscape, though rendered in softer tones, suggests a wild, untamed terrain. The figures of a woman and child in the foreground serve as a focal point, their shapes anchoring the composition amidst the chaos of the storm. Lepère's technique here isn't just descriptive, it's expressive. The textural richness achieved through the layering of etching techniques reflects a broader artistic interest in conveying sensory experience and in pushing the boundaries of traditional printmaking.