Ships at Sea

Ships at Sea from the 1600s is a pen and wash drawing by Backhuysen, demonstrating the working method behind his finished maritime paintings. The combination of pen and brown ink for the outlines and brush and wash for the tonal values is the standard preparatory method for Dutch marine paintings: the pen lines establish the rigging and the hull shapes, and the washes build up the atmospheric effects of sea and sky that give the finished painting its dramatic impact. The drawing medium preserves the rapid execution and spontaneous observation that the more deliberate oil paintings sometimes lose.

Backhuysen's pen and wash drawings are important documents in the history of Dutch marine painting because they reveal the working method behind his finished seascapes. Ships at Sea shows how Backhuysen built up his compositions: rapid pen lines for the ship outlines and rigging, washes for the atmospheric effects of sea and sky, and framing lines to define the composition's boundaries. The drawing preserves the spontaneity of Backhuysen's on-site observations of ships and the sea.

Ships at Sea is Backhuysen's working method revealed: rapid pen lines for the ship outlines and rigging, washes for the atmospheric effects of sea and sky, preserving the spontaneity of on-site observation that the finished oil paintings sometimes lose. The drawing is Dutch marine painting with its guard down—the first impression before the finishing touches.