River Landscape

A pioneering author of handbooks for artists, Maxime Lalanne published a technical manual devoted to charcoal drawing in 1869. Le fusain was geared to the amateur as well as the professional, and special attention was paid to the landscape, with step-by-step instructions on how to create a finished drawing similar to River Scene. Lalanne's gift for creating an impressive tonal range in his fusains, or charcoal drawings, is evident in this intimate sheet. Using just charcoal, Lalanne brought "color" to the scene with subtle variations of tone, from darkest black to pearly gray. He invariably employed the effects outlined in his manual, here using the textured grain of the paper to advantage in the rocky shoreline. Elsewhere, he used a stump-typically a wad of paper or leather-to smudge or subtract charcoal to achieve delicate variations in tone.