Cap Nègre

• Henri-Edmond Cross (1856–1910)
• 1909
• Charcoal and watercolor with charcoal border on cream laid paper
• Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
• (1975.1.596)

Resplendent in brilliant color, this work is Henri-Edmond Cross’s final view of the Mediterranean before his death in 1910. He skillfully employed watercolor effects, applying thin washes of pale tones in the sky and sea, while laying down thick, jewel-like strokes on the trees, grassy foreground, and distant mountains to create dramatic contrasts. Leaving portions of the white paper visible around each brushstroke heightens the impression that the landscape is bathed in light, giving the scene a luminous and airy quality.