Lines and Colors art blog

Eye Candy for Today: Johannes Franciscus Christ ink and wash drawing

View of the Bottom Gate at the Old Port at Nijmegen, John Franciscus Christ
View of the Bottom Gate at the Old Port at Nijmegen, Johannes Franciscus Christ

Ink and wash over a chalk underdrawing, roughly 9 x 7 in (23 x 19 cm); in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

This early 19th century drawing of the port gate of the Dutch city of Nijmegen is a beautiful example of the powerful notation possible with the simple medium of ink and wash.

It’s also a wonderful case of clear, unhurried observation, confident draftsmanship and surprisingly economical rendering — given the “finished” appearance of the drawing.

I love the textures of the brick and stone, the shadow against the sunny side wall and the gestural indication of the reeds and trees, as well as the simple but effective suggestion of low clouds in the distance.


Comments

3 responses to “Eye Candy for Today: Johannes Franciscus Christ ink and wash drawing”

  1. Once again, “… the sum of its parts”.

  2. Hilde Van den A beele Avatar
    Hilde Van den A beele

    It’s so beautiful on that coarse paper, who was this John F Christ . and can I admire other work of him? Thank you again for showing such unknown(to me) pearls

    1. Thanks for the comment, Hilde. You can find a number of his etchings on the Rijksmuseum website:
      https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/search?q=John%20franciscus%20christ&v=&s=&ii=0&p=1