Yachts Sailing in a Breeze
1692
oil
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1692
oil
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Yachts Sailing in a Breeze is a 1692 oil by Adriaen van der Salm, a Baroque work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
You see yachts leaning into the wind on choppy blue waves. Their sails bulge white against a pale, cloudy sky. This isn’t a lively seascape. It’s done in grisaille—black, white and gray only—like an old sketch turned into paint. Van der Salm blurred lines between drawing and painting, making waves look soft and real. Look up Adriaen van der Salm—the only artist who mixed school teaching with sea scenes like this.
