Shipping 1879 - 1880

drawing, print, etching

drawing

print

impressionism

etching

landscape

cityscape

realism

Otto H. Bacher’s "Shipping" is a finely detailed etching that depicts three ships docked in a harbor. The artist’s signature is visible in the lower right-hand corner of the composition. Created in 1879 - 1880, this print, part of the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s collection, highlights Bacher’s interest in depicting the bustling activity of maritime life. The ships’ masts and rigging are rendered with meticulous precision, capturing the essence of a harbor scene. The viewer is invited to envision the sounds of the waves lapping against the hulls and the sailors working aboard. Bacher’s “Shipping” embodies the artist’s talent for capturing the essence of a moment in time, using the medium of etching to present a realistic view of everyday life.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Otto Bacher was in Venice at the same time as Whistler in 1879-80, and kept a printing press in his apartment at the Casa Jankovitz, where both artists lodged. Whistler sometimes borrowed Bacher's press to make proofs of his latest etchings, and together they explored the life of the city through their prints. In his memoir of their time in Venice, Bacher noted that this etching captured a view seen from the window of Whistler's one-room apartment.