The Cave of Dionysius, Syracuse; John Brown
In the Morgan Library and Museum, NY. Use the zoom feature or download link.
Pen and brown ink, approximately 18 x 11 inches (46 x 27 cm).
A wonderful sense of light and texture is carried throughout the drawing. It’s a fascinating composition in which the subject, though small in relation to the setting, is dramatically highlighted with control of value.
I particularly love the way the gnarled trees and string-like vines are handled, along with the wonderful directional control of the hatched lines. This is a monochromatic drawing with lot of “color”.
