Between the cloud and the Mountain | Inspiration

I’m pleased to share, ‘Between the cloud and the Mountain’, my first monochrome piece in a while. Inspired by the Claude glass, I mixed a dark brown/black ink.

Named after the French 17th century landscape painter, Claude Lorrain, a Claude glass is a small pocket sized convex mirror with blackened glass that was used by artists and people to admire the reflected scenery behind them. Held up to the eye, the surrounding landscape became focused on an area perfect for the dimensions of a small drawing and capturing the picturesque.

Claude glass

The blackened mirror created a brown reflection which simplified the colour and tonal range, giving a painterly quality much like the paintings and sketches of Claude Lorrain - though it is not known whether he ever used one himself. 

Left: Claude Lorrain, View of the Campagna
Right: Claude Lorrain, Wooded View

You can see more pictures and find further information about ‘Between the cloud and the Mountain’ here.

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