Monteripido, Perugia 1923

Hermann Lismann made this ink drawing of Monteripido, Perugia sometime in the early 20th century, and you can see he’s feeling his way into the image, letting the wash spread and pool in certain areas. It’s like he’s building the scene from atmosphere first. The ink is applied in layers, creating depth and texture. Look at the way he’s rendered the trees in the foreground, how the dark ink bleeds slightly into the paper, giving them a soft, almost blurry edge. Then there’s the contrast with the crisp lines of the buildings in the distance. This combination of soft and hard edges gives the drawing a real sense of atmosphere, like you could step right into the scene. It reminds me a little bit of some of the landscape drawings of Paul Cezanne, that same attention to light and form. Ultimately, Lismann’s work is about capturing a moment, a feeling, and he invites us to bring our own experiences to it.