Gezicht in een bos

Gezicht in een bos is a sensitive and immediate study created by the French Romantic master Eugène Delacroix in 1858. Executed entirely in pencil on paper, this drawing exemplifies Delacroix’s continued engagement with natural forms and observational sketching late in his career. The technique is characterized by rapid, layered graphite strokes that expertly capture the density of foliage and the atmospheric quality of light filtering through the trees, functioning as an intimate, preparatory work rather than a finished academic piece.

Though primarily known for his dramatic, color-rich oil paintings and historical narratives, Delacroix consistently utilized drawing as a vital tool for private observation and compositional planning. This study, made just five years before his death, shows the artist exploring the fundamental structures of the landscape. The careful mapping of shadow and light achieved through the use of delicate line work demonstrates Delacroix’s unwavering attention to organic form, a characteristic often overshadowed by his reputation as a brilliant colorist. These observational drawings frequently served as resources for background elements in larger, more complex canvases.

Dating from 1858, the work offers valuable insight into the private working methods of one of the defining figures of the Romantic movement. Drawings of this type are highly valued by scholars for their immediacy and direct connection to the artist’s hand, contributing significantly to the understanding of Delacroix’s artistic evolution. This important 19th-century drawing is maintained within the collection of the Rijksmuseum, enriching the museum’s holdings of works on paper by major European masters.