Looking Upwards from Devil's Bridge, Cardiganshire, Wales

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Artist: James Ward (British, 1769–1859)
Medium: Watercolor, gouache and graphite on medium, moderately textured, cream laid paper
Size: Sheet: 13 7/8 x 23 3/4 inches (35.2 x 60.3 cm)
Museum: Yale Center for British Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

James Ward began his career as an engraver but then turned to animal paintings and large-scale landscapes. In choosing this close-up view of the waterfalls at Devil’s Bridge, Ward intimately engages with the particulars of the landscape, paying heed to the unique textures of rock, water, and vegetation. These landscape components are featured in larger-scale works from the area, notably the sweeping mountain scenes which attracted so many visitors to Wales. This work’s dynamism arises from the different mediums used and its varying degrees of detail and styles of representation, notably in its graphic quality, with penciled outlines and cross-hatching.

Text: Yale Center for British Art.