Beaching a Fishing Boat in a Gale 1770s

John Hamilton Mortimer's etching "Beaching a Fishing Boat in a Gale," created in the 1770s, depicts a scene of bustling activity on a windy day. The artist uses cross-hatching to render the textures of the sky, the rough water and the bent trees. The scene's focal point is the foreground where men labor to pull a fishing boat ashore. The artist's signature is visible in the lower right-hand corner of the composition. This dramatic landscape etching demonstrates the artistic skill of the short-lived but prolific artist Mortimer, a leading figure in the British art movement.