Study for The Rock

Study for The Rock — Peter Blume. 1941.

Medium: Charcoal, with stumping on cream tracing paper, tipped on ivory wove paper. Dimensions: 10.7 × 21.9 cm (4 1/4 × 8 5/8 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

The Russian-born artist Peter Blume employed the Renaissance technique of making drawings and multiple small-scale paintings in preparation for his large finished compositions. This drawing, given to the museum by the artist in the 1960s, is one of many studies for the Art Institute’s painting The Rock (1956.338). Taken as a group, the studies for the painting demonstrate the artist’s working method and show the progression of The Rock from an idea to the finished painting.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.