Hamlet: Hamlet and Horatio with the Grave Diggers
1843
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1843
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This sketch shows four people on a beach at dusk. One man in a long coat stands with his back to us, looking down at a second man who’s kneeling. A third man lies on the ground, clutching his head, while a fourth bends over him, holding a shovel. The waves crash in the background, and a lighthouse sits far off to the right. The artist used quick, sketchy lines to show movement and emotion. The dark shapes and loose brushwork make the scene feel dramatic and urgent. Next, look up Romanticism to see how this style used emotion over realism.
