1895
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Sketch of a Blacksmith is a 1895 ink by James McNeill Whistler, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a person hunched over, working with their hands—one hand gripping what looks like a hammer, the other holding a piece of metal. The lines are loose and quick, almost like scribbles, with no clear background. The focus is on the person’s posture and the rough, uneven strokes that suggest movement. The artist used a technique called lithography, which lets you draw directly onto a flat stone or plate. This sketch feels more like a fast study than a finished drawing, with visible smudges and uneven marks. If you like this sketchy style, look up lithography to see how it works.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom.
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