Rip Van Winkle
c. 1840
Asher Brown Durand captures the legendary Rip Van Winkle looking thoroughly disheveled after his famous twenty-year nap in the Catskill Mountains. The sketch shows the character with a long, wild beard and his trusty rifle resting on his lap, embodying the weary confusion of a man who woke up to a completely changed world. As a key figure in American Romanticism, Durand uses loose, energetic lines to create a quick study that feels almost alive. It’s a charming glimpse into American folklore, showing the moment a man returns from a magical slumber to find everything he knew gone.
- Technique
- graphite
- Material
- paper
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