Accession Number
1938.59
Medium
watercolor over graphite
Dimensions
Image: 13.2 x 23.8 cm (5 3/16 x 9 3/8 in.); Sheet: 15.6 x 23.8 cm (6 1/8 x 9 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Henry A. Everett for the Dorothy Burnham Everett Memorial Collection
Tags
Drawing Impressionist & Modern (1851–1900) Watercolor Graphite & Pencil British
Background & Context
Background Story
The Provencal landscape around L'Étoile, with its combination of Roman ruins, medieval architecture, and Mediterranean vegetation, gave Bone a subject that combined his love of architectural structure with the atmospheric effects that watercolor over graphite uniquely captures. The graphite underdrawing provides the precise structural skeleton of buildings and terrain, while the watercolor overlays provide the warmth and atmosphere of the Southern French landscape. This combination of precision and atmosphere is the signature of Bone's best watercolor work.
Cultural Impact
Bone was not the first British artist to find inspiration in Provence — the tradition stretches back through the Romantics to the 18th-century Grand Tour — but his approach was distinctive. Where earlier British artists had emphasized the picturesque charm of Provence, Bone emphasized its structural qualities: the solid geometry of Roman arches, the cubic volumes of village architecture, and the clear light that reveals form with Mediterranean clarity.
Why It Matters
Near Étoile, Provence is Bone applying his architectural eye to a landscape that demands both precision and atmosphere. The graphite-watercolor combination allows him to deliver both: structure through drawing, warmth through color.
