Seascape with Rocks (from Sketchbook VII) 1886

William Trost Richards created this small Seascape with Rocks drawing as part of Sketchbook VII. The monochromatic scene captures a rugged rock formation amidst a turbulent sea, rendered with dense hatching, a texture that visually replicates the scene's rough feel. Richards employs line work to define the contours of the rocks and the motion of the water. The overall composition is a study in contrasts: the solid, unmoving rock against the fluid, ever-changing sea. The sky, evoked with similar strokes, suggests a vast, enveloping space. The artwork's starkness invites us to consider the sublime in nature—a theme explored by Romantics. Here, the formal elements work together to convey a sense of awe and perhaps even insignificance in the face of nature's power. Richards uses the very texture of the marks to suggest the raw, elemental forces at play in the seascape.