Artwork
Rocklined Beach with Distant Boats
Rocklined Beach with Distant Boats is an ink drawing by the Impressionist artist William Stanley Haseltine. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right in red crayon: W.S.H.; lower right in graphite: (illegible word) [beach?] / small stones / very brilliant sea weed; upper left verso in graphite by unknown hand: DLA.498-DD; lower right in red crayon by unknown hand: Sixtie's; lower right in black ink by unknown hand: New England coast / 13
About this work
Overview
Rocklined Beach with Distant Boats is a drawing by William Stanley Haseltine, dated circa 1864, executed in pen and black ink, graphite, and gray wash.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a serene coastal scene featuring a rocky shoreline with jagged stones and shallow, lapping waves, set against the backdrop of calm water with a few small, distant boats.
Technique & Style
Haseltine employed soft grays and faint lines to convey light and texture, intentionally leaving some areas sparse with minimal pencil or wash to evoke the rough, uneven quality of the rocks. Distant elements, such as the boats, are suggested through subtle smudges, contributing to the depth of the composition.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1864, specific details regarding the drawing's provenance and historical context are not provided.
Context
The use of cross-hatching techniques, though not extensively described here, would have been a common method for building shadows in artworks of this period, suggesting the piece aligns with mid-19th-century drawing practices.
Legacy
Information on the drawing's impact, exhibition history, or influence on subsequent artists is not provided.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
William Stanley Haseltine was born on June 11, 1835, in Philadelphia to John Haseltine, a successful businessman, and Elizabeth Shinn Haseltine, an amateur landscape painter.
![Rocks Along a Lakeshore [recto], by John William Casilear](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/john-william-casilear--rocks-along-a-lakeshore-recto--b93b7ece126b330b-w320.webp)
