Stormy Sea (from Sketchbook VII) 1886

Editor: Here we have William Trost Richards' "Stormy Sea (from Sketchbook VII)" created in 1886. It's a pencil drawing housed here at the Met. It feels very raw and immediate, almost like a snapshot. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Richards' choice of pencil elevates what might be seen as a mere sketch into a powerful commentary on the relationship between the artist, their materials, and the industrialized world. The accessibility of pencil – mass-produced and widely available – democratizes art-making. Consider the physical act of drawing those waves; the repetitive, almost meditative strokes. Do you think it mirrors the tireless labor of those connected to the sea, be they fishermen or shipbuilders? Editor: That's a really interesting point, I hadn't thought of the repetition like that! The choice of a common material connects to the lives of ordinary people working on the ocean? Curator: Precisely. Richards' work allows us to think critically about how even seemingly simple materials like pencils are implicated in complex networks of labor and consumption, creating a new vision of the social framework surrounding it. Editor: So it's not just about the storm, but about how the tools we use shape how we understand the world, and vice-versa! Thanks for providing that perspective. Curator: The piece certainly invites reflection on our place within that material world.