Artwork
Sunset from a Rocky Coastline
Sunset from a Rocky Coastline is an ink drawing by the Romanticist artist Jean Achille Benouville. It dates from 1842 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right in graphite: 1842; verso, lower right in graphite: 010123
- Markings
- Marked:Benouville's studio stamp, with #13
About this work
Overview
Jean Achille Benouville’s 1842 work, Sunset from a Rocky Coastline, is a drawing executed on blue‑gray wove paper. The piece combines watercolor, gouache, pen, brown ink, and graphite, creating a compact yet detailed representation of a seascape at dusk.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a tranquil shoreline where rugged boulders dominate the foreground, their surfaces mottled with green and brown tones. Calm water laps at their bases beneath a sky that shifts from pale blue near the horizon to warm orange hues, evoking the quiet transition from day to evening.
Technique & Style
Benouville layered transparent watercolor washes with opaque gouache to model light and shadow across the rocks. Fine pen and brown ink lines accentuate texture, while graphite underdrawings provide structural guidance. The glazing of color builds depth, allowing the sky’s gradient to emerge subtly behind the detailed foreground.
History & Provenance
Created in 1842, the drawing reflects Benouville’s mid‑nineteenth‑century interest in atmospheric landscapes. It remains catalogued as a watercolor drawing, though details of its ownership history after its creation are not recorded in the available sources.
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Artist & collection
