Outline Sketch of a Ship's Stern (from Sketchbook) by Albert Bierstadt

Outline Sketch of a Ship's Stern (from Sketchbook) 1891

shape in negative space

thin stroke sketch

shading to add clarity

ship

incomplete sketchy

hand drawn type

monochrome colours

single colour

singular colour in background

limited contrast and shading

rough sketch

"Outline Sketch of a Ship's Stern (from Sketchbook)" is a pencil sketch on paper by Albert Bierstadt, created in 1891. This small-scale drawing, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a study for a larger composition, showcasing the artist's preliminary thought process. Bierstadt, renowned for his dramatic landscape paintings of the American West, utilized sketching as a tool for capturing details and developing his vision before embarking on more finished works. The simple lines of this sketch capture the essential form of a ship's stern, hinting at the larger narrative that Bierstadt intended to depict.