La Chapelle Saint-Michel à l'Estre
Félix-Hilaire Buhot made this. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work
About this work
The image shows an elevated view of a landscape with detailed line work in warm sepia tones. The horizon is located near the top, with a cluster of structures visible in the distance. Close to us, there is textured shrubbery, and the ground is marked with dots and lines. Rolling hills and flat areas lead towards the horizon, where the sky is depicted with horizontal lines and hatchings.
Description from the National Gallery of Art.
Félix-Hilaire Buhot made this. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
How it was made
- Drypoint
- Lines scratched straight into the plate with a needle throw up a ridge of metal, the burr, which holds ink and prints a soft, furred line. The burr wears down, so early impressions are the richest.
- Etching
- The artist draws with a needle through a waxy coating on a copper plate, and acid bites the exposed lines. The plate is then inked, wiped and printed under pressure, so the line keeps the freedom of drawing.
- Laid paper
- Handmade on a mould of close-set wires, which leave fine parallel lines you can see when the sheet is held to the light.
Félix-Hilaire Buhot
French, 1847–1898
Buhot was a leading figure of the French etching revival of the 1870s and 1880s. He made atmospheric views of Paris, London and Normandy, often in rain, snow or fog, combining etching with drypoint, aquatint and other techniques to suggest weather and light. He is known for his “symphonic margins”, small sketches around the main image that comment on it, and he experimented with papers and inks for each impression.
Written by Ochre Editions.
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
- 2006.68.30
- Credit
- Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Type
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
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