On Drawing Trees and Nature. A Classic Victorian Manual

This classic of art instruction is the work of James Duffield Harding (1798-1863), who served as drawing master and sketching companion to the great Victorian art critic, John Ruskin. Generations of students have benefited from the teachings of this 19th-century master, who sought always to «produce as near a likeness to Nature, in every respect, as the instrument, or material employed, will admit of; not so much by bona fide imitation, as by reviving in the mind those ideas which are awakened by a contemplation of Nature... The renewal of those feelings constitutes the true purpose of Art.»

This volume consists of direct reproductions of Harding’s sketches of vignettes from natural settings. Each is accompanied by a series of lessons emphasizing both practical and theoretical considerations. The edition features the added attraction of 23 outstanding plates from the author’s Lessons on Trees.