La Traversée (The Passage)
1882
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1882
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
La Traversée (The Passage) is a 1882 ink by Félix-Hilaire Buhot, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketchy print shows a chaotic crowd on a boat, with people leaning over the sides or clinging to ropes. One person in the center is holding a child while gripping a pole. Below, a smaller group sits on the boat’s edge, looking tense. The lines are loose and scratchy, like quick notes rather than smooth shapes. The artist used a mix of sharp lines and smudged areas to show movement and light. This style was common in prints of the time. Next, check out etching to see how artists like this made detailed prints with acid and needles.
![Gillingham Pier, London [verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/641e03dd7de8217b/thumb.webp)