From the exhibition
Landscape with River
Leon Dabo, American, 1868–1960 · circa 1890

Leon Dabo's spare ink sketch captures a riverside scene with economical line work. A figure and small dog stand beside an overloaded cart on the near bank, while sailboats rest on calm water above. Distant trees and rolling terrain anchor the composition in atmospheric perspective. Dabo's quick, assured strokes—layered horizontals for water and sky, gestural marks for vegetation—demonstrate the impressionist interest in capturing light and mood through minimal means. Working during the period when American artists increasingly drew from direct observation, Dabo developed a distinctive approach to landscape notation that influenced illustration and design.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com CC0