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Landscape with Two Ruined Castles

A work made of brush with brown ink and brown wash, over black crayon and graphite, with shellac, on ivory wove paper, laid down on tan wove paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of brush with brown ink and brown wash, over black crayon and graphite, with shellac, on ivory wove paper, laid down on tan wove paper.

Date:

1847

Artist:

Victor Marie Hugo
French, 1802-1885

About this artwork

In addition to being a major presence in nineteenth-century French literature, Victor Hugo holds a unique position in the realm of the visual arts. His drawings established him as one of the most influential draftsmen of his time, a bridge between the romantics and the symbolists. It is the large-scale abstract works, such as this drawing, broadly handled, unclear, brooding, and mysterious, which are Hugo’s greatest legacy. This particular drawing was obviously highly prized by Hugo; only his major works received lengthy dedications, and this drawing is inscribed on both the mat and frame. The inscription reads in part: “Standing, facing each other, they resemble two black giants ready for battle.”

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Victor Marie Hugo

Title

Landscape with Two Ruined Castles

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1847

Medium

Brush with brown ink and brown wash, over black crayon and graphite, with shellac, on ivory wove paper, laid down on tan wove paper

Dimensions

26.8 × 46.5 cm (10 9/16 × 18 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Marjorie Blum-Kovler Collection and the Harry and Maribel G. Blum Foundation

Reference Number

1989.168

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/74110/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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