From the exhibition
Le Château de Chevenevase
Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT 1868-died Stamford, CT 1922 · 1900

Solon Borglum's architectural sketch depicts a deteriorating castle tower rendered in charcoal and ink. The composition emphasizes structural decay through dense cross-hatching and selective darkening around window openings and ground-level shadows. Bare saplings and fragmented stonework populate the foreground, establishing scale and temporal passage. Borglum, primarily known as a sculptor, employed drawing as preliminary study and independent artistic practice. This work demonstrates the period's interest in documenting European ruins, a subject that attracted American artists seeking historical and romantic material abroad during the early twentieth century.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com CC0