1635
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Capricci di varie battaglie is a 1635 ink by Johann Wilhelm Baur, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows a chaotic sea battle with three ships in the background. In the foreground, a group of people—some standing, some kneeling—clutch each other and objects like anchors and broken oars. The waves crash wildly, and the sky is full of swirling lines, making everything feel stormy and off-balance. The artist packed a lot into this small space: the ships, the struggling figures, and the tangled ropes and debris all feel crammed together, like a story unfolding in one messy moment. The lines are sharp and busy, almost like a sketch that never smoothed out. Want to see more like this? Check out etching for how artists use ink and metal plates to create these detailed prints.
Johann Wilhelm Baur, Joan Guiliam Bouwer, or Bauer (Strasbourg, 31 May 1607 - Vienna, 1 January 1640) was a German engraver, etcher and miniature painter. He is famous for a series of illustrations of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
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