
Read the visual description
The image shows a downward perspective, appearing to be from a mountainside looking into a valley. The horizon is partly visible but mostly hidden by mountains and trees. The artwork features light and sketchy brushstrokes with graphite or pencil marks adding texture to trees and rocks, giving depth to the scene. The color palette is mostly monochromatic, using shades of gray to depict shadowed and sunlit areas. Closest to the viewer are rocks and vegetation leading down to the valley, with the scene transitioning into thick woodland and rocky slopes in the background.
National Gallery of Art · Drawing
Avalanche in an Alpine Landscape
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
- Date
- c. 1870
- Medium
- black and white chalk on blue paper (verso)
- Dimensions
- overall: 35.9 x 23.9 cm (14 1/8 x 9 7/16 in.)
- Classification
- Drawing
- Accession number
- 2007.66.1.b
- Credit line
- Maxwell Fund
- Time span
- 1851 to 1875
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- French
- Landscape
- Tree
- Mountain
- Rock
- Nature
Provenance
(Patrick Derom Gallery, New York); purchased 2007 by NGA.
NGA object ID 138648. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.