The Bell Buoy
1894
graphite
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
About the artist
1894
graphite
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Bell Buoy is a 1894 graphite by William Trost Richards, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This painting shows a rough sea with waves crashing. In the distance, a small boat sits on the water, and a tall wooden buoy with a light on top floats nearby. The sky is pale with soft clouds, and the water looks choppy but not stormy. The artist used watercolor with white highlights to make the light look bright against the darker waves. The way they painted the water’s movement feels real, almost like you’re standing on the shore watching it. If you like this, look up watercolor to see how artists use thin layers of paint to create light and depth.
