Drawing
Adolph Hirémy-Hirschl Hungarian
Not on view
Water trickles through a heap of rocks and broken tree branches, collecting into a small puddle at left. Bold brushwork in vivid tones of blue, violet, and green evoke the cool surfaces of stone and moss, while a few strokes of white create the sensation of brilliant light filtering through the surrounding trees at top. Born into a Jewish family in Hungary—the cultural identity the artist elected throughout his life—Hirémy-Hirschl trained and began his career in Vienna before settling in Rome in about 1900. Although best known as a history painter, he earned critical success for his landscapes, bringing to them his talent for observing light and shadow and for rendering almost touchable forms.