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Three Fishermen Along the Banks of a River at the Edge of a Forest

Adolphe Appian1868

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

Adolphe Appian was renowned during the 19th century for his mastery of charcoal drawing. He specialized in large-scale landscapes depicting Lyon, his native region in southeastern France, and focused on what he termed “private little corners” rather than grandiose views. This drawing is one of several in which Appian depicted the winding Rhône River and the dense trees and large boulders that surrounded it. Two small fishermen give a sense of scale and draw the viewer into the scene. Appian worked with charcoal sticks and powder, wiping the material with cloth, paper, and even breadcrumbs before scratching into the paper’s surface to create an unprecedented tonal range.

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  • Title: Three Fishermen Along the Banks of a River at the Edge of a Forest
  • Creator: Adolphe Appian (French, 1818-1898)
  • Date Created: 1868
  • Physical Dimensions: Sheet: 59.4 x 98.5 cm (23 3/8 x 38 3/4 in.); Secondary Support: 60.5 x 99.5 cm (23 13/16 x 39 3/16 in.)
  • Provenance: the artist’s family, by descent, (Paul Prouté, Paris), Private Collection, United States, (W. M. Brady, & Co., New York, NY), Private Collection, United States, (Jill Newhouse Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Drawing
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2021.140
  • Medium: charcoal with stumping and scratching out and touches of white chalk on beige paper
  • Inscriptions: inscribed, lower left, in dark brown ink: Appian 1868
  • Fun Fact: Adolphe Appian was so well known for his skillful use of charcoal that many artists wrote to him asking for technical advice.
  • Department: Drawings
  • Culture: France, 19th century
  • Credit Line: J.H. Wade Trust Fund
  • Collection: DR - French
  • Accession Number: 2021.140
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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