Artwork
Sailors' Wives
Sailors' Wives is a pastel drawing by the Impressionist artist Théophile Alexandre Steinlen. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right in black crayon: Steinlen; in later hand, lower right verso in graphite: Femme de marins / 5893
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By focusing on these specific natural elements alongside the human faces, the composition evokes the anxieties and waiting associated with maritime life.
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen's 1896 drawing Sailors' Wives presents a scene defined by the presence of faces and wind waves. The work, executed in black and colored crayon on paper, is classified within the landscape genre, suggesting the figures are situated within a maritime environment rather than an interior setting. The depiction of wind waves serves as a primary iconographic element, symbolizing the turbulent conditions of the sea that likely separate the wives from their sailor husbands.
By focusing on these specific natural elements alongside the human faces, the composition evokes the anxieties and waiting associated with maritime life.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1896, the drawing employs black and colored crayon on paper, with visible handling that integrates both line and subtle tonal shading to articulate form.
The composition emphasizes a stylized depiction of faces and wind-driven waves, aligning with the Symbolist tendency to suggest emotional states through rhythmic, undulating contours. Handling favors swift, descriptive strokes rather than meticulous hatching, producing a fluid interplay of light and movement across the sheet.
The sheet measures 35.3 × 23.3 cm, and its support is a paper medium consistent with late nineteenth-century graphic practice.
History & Provenance
The drawing titled Sailors' Wives was created in 1896 by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen using black and colored crayon on paper, measuring 35.3 cm in height and 23.3 cm in width. It is classified as a landscape drawing depicting a face and a wind wave. The work entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of the Rosenwald Collection and remains in the museum's holdings today.
Sailors' Wives is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It entered the collection through the Rosenwald Collection and is cataloged under the accession number NGA 10540. The work has been displayed in exhibitions focusing on French drawings and Symbolist art at the National Gallery of Art.
Overview
Created in 1896, Sailors' Wives is a drawing by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen executed in black and colored crayon. The composition presents two women on a shoreline, their faces marked by anxiety as they gaze toward the sea. The work captures a moment of waiting, suggesting the uncertainty that accompanies maritime life for families on the coast.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen (November 10, 1859 – December 13, 1923), was a Swiss-born French Art Nouveau painter and printmaker. He was politically engaged and collaborated with the anarchist and socialist press.
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