Bas Reliefc. 1938
Edward L. Loper painted this in about 1938, aged 22. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work
About this work
This image shows an engraved design featuring a cannon with large wheels next to an eagle perched on top, situated on the left side of a rectangular stone slab. The color scheme is predominantly grayscale with subtle hints of blue and gray tones throughout the stone surface. The cannon is positioned slightly to the left in the composition, with its barrel pointing to the right, while the eagle is perched on the cannon barrel facing forward, wings tucked close to its body. To accompany the cannon, a stack of cannonballs is carved on the lower left, further anchoring the scene within the carved rectangle.
Description from the National Gallery of Art.
Edward L. Loper painted this in about 1938, aged 22. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
How it was made
- Watercolour
- Pigment in gum arabic, thinned with water and laid in transparent washes. Nothing white is painted: the light is the paper showing through.
- Graphite
- Pencil. Graphite has been used for drawing since the 1500s; in 1795 Nicolas-Jacques Conté mixed it with clay, so its hardness could be graded.
Edward L. Loper
American, 1916–2011
American folk and design
The everyday art of early America, recorded in watercolour by the Index of American Design.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The National Gallery of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1943.8.14896
- Credit
- Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Type
- Drawing
- Department
- Index of American Design
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
Report this work
Close in colour
