Storm Ending, Norwegian Fijord

A fjord at the end of a storm is a subject that plays to all of Bone's strengths: dramatic vertical rock faces, horizontal water, changing atmospheric conditions, and the interplay of clearing sky and remaining cloud. The storm-ending light — bright patches breaking through dark clouds, creating spotlights on the water and the cliff face — is the kind of transient atmospheric effect that Bone's watercolor and graphite technique captures with particular effectiveness. The graphite provides the permanent structure of the cliffs, and the watercolor captures the ephemeral drama of the light.

Norwegian fjords were increasingly popular subjects for British artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as improved steamship travel made them accessible. Bone's treatment is distinctive for its emphasis on the structural relationship between the vertical cliffs and the horizontal water — a relationship that appeals to his architectural instinct even in a purely natural landscape.

Storm Ending, Norwegian Fjord is Bone at his most atmospheric and most structural simultaneously. The clearing storm provides the drama, the fjord provides the scale, and Bone's technique provides the precision that transforms spectacle into art.