Vissersboten op het water 1830 - 1860

Albertus van Beest made this drawing, “Vissersboten op het water,” or “Fishing boats on the water” using pen in grey ink on paper. The quick, economical lines of the pen show the artist’s hand moving swiftly across the surface, capturing the brisk movement of the waves. The use of pen and ink is important, as these are portable, affordable materials, easily used for sketching outdoors – recording immediate impressions of daily life. It also speaks to the rise of industrial production, and the role of works on paper as preparatory studies for larger paintings. Van Beest may have produced a number of these drawings in preparation for a finished oil painting. Yet, this drawing has an energy of its own; the directness of the medium communicates immediacy and the sense of working en plein air. Thinking about the materials and making of this drawing helps us consider the relationship between craft and art, and how social issues of labor, politics, and consumption can be embedded even in a quick sketch.