A Woodland Scene at Dusk (recto); A Study of Trees and Foliage (verso)

William James Müller

1833–45 · Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite, with reductive techniques, stopping out, and gum arabic on blue-gray paper · Drawings and Prints

A leader of the Bristol School, Müller’s life was cut short by illness at the height of his powers. Influenced by the expressive naturalism of John Sell Cotman, whose works he studied in the collection of a friend, the Rev. James Bulwer, Müller sketched out of doors in all weathers. In the 1830s he traveled to Europe and the Middle East, but likely found the present subject close to home in Leigh Woods on the edge of the Avon Gorge. The masterful range of watercolor techniques, and freely applied strokes, suggest a date close to the end of the artist's career.

Artist

William James Müller

Date

1833–45

Medium

Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite, with reductive techniques, stopping out, and gum arabic on blue-gray paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2017