Coastal Scene with Boats and Fishermen by Attributed to John Burgess Jr.

Coastal Scene with Boats and Fishermen c. 1850

drawing, watercolor

drawing

rough brush stroke

charcoal drawing

possibly oil pastel

rugged

charcoal art

oil painting

watercolor

derelict

england

underpainting

charcoal

watercolor

"Coastal Scene with Boats and Fishermen," c. 1850, is a watercolor by John Burgess Jr. (1756-1815), a prominent marine painter known for his detailed depictions of coastal life. This intimate, small-scale scene portrays a group of fishermen tending to their boats at the edge of a rocky shore. The artist's delicate handling of watercolor is apparent in the subtle washes of blue and grey that convey the misty atmosphere of the landscape. The focal point of the composition is the towering rock formation, its craggy surface and dramatic shadows adding a sense of grandeur to the scene. The figures are rendered with a level of detail that allows for an intimate glimpse into the lives of those who lived and worked by the sea. This work is currently housed in the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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At the end of a day of fishing, the catch is being loaded into a horse-drawn cart. One man lies down next to a beast that may have been used to pull boats onto the shore. Two small groups of women sit mending the nets. Behind them rises a cliff whose crags seem to have fascinated the artist. John Burgess, Jr. was born into an artistic family. His mother was a sculptor, and his father, a watercolorist. If this is indeed his work, it remains difficult to localize the view since he travelled extensively in Britain and France.