1894
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Mending the Nets is a 1894 ink by Max Liebermann, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a group of people in small boats on choppy water. They’re bent over, fixing nets with quick, messy strokes. The waves look rough, and the sky is just a light, scratchy background. The artist used thin lines and shading to show movement and texture—like the water’s ripples or the nets’ tangled strands. It feels like a quick snapshot of real work, not a polished scene. Next, check out etching, drypoint, aquatint to see how this technique creates such sharp, layered details.
Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe.
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