Aangemeerde zeilboten bij een steiger 1797 - 1838

Johannes Christiaan Schotel made this drawing of moored sailboats at a quay with graphite on paper. The qualities of graphite lend themselves especially well to the careful articulation of surface and structural detail: in this case, the rigging of the ship, and the timber structure of the quay. The artist’s subtle gradations of tone also give a sense of weather in the air. Of course, the shipbuilding industry in the Netherlands has a long history, and the labor of those who built and sailed these boats was the foundation of Dutch prosperity during Schotel's lifetime. We see the results of that labor, in the careful articulation of these wooden forms. Understanding an artwork like this is not just about the artist’s vision, but also about the networks of social activity that surround it. Fine art and craft, vision and industry, are deeply intertwined.