Voorsteven van een bomschuit 1834 - 1903

Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch created this drawing of the prow of a ‘bomschuit’ – a type of fishing boat – using graphite on paper. Notice how the softness of the graphite allows for quick, expressive marks. You can almost feel Weissenbruch capturing the scene in a fleeting moment. The grainy texture of the paper also plays its part, giving the sketch a slightly rough, atmospheric quality. The drawing is less about the precise details of the boat and more about the energy of the moment. The artist is engaging with the fishing industry. Schuiten were working vessels, designed for the harsh conditions of the North Sea. Weissenbruch wasn’t just recording a scene; he was engaging with a whole world of labor, skill, and material hardship. Looking at this sketch, consider how Weissenbruch elevated an everyday subject to a work of art. It reminds us that the materials and processes used in creating art are just as important as the final image itself.