Launching the Life Boat
1934
crayon
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1934
crayon
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This sketch shows a chaotic scene of people scrambling onto a small boat in rough water. The waves are jagged lines, and the figures look hurried, some holding onto ropes or each other. Trees loom in the background, dark and tangled, while the boat rocks wildly beneath them. The artist used quick, sketchy lines to show movement and panic—no smooth shapes here. It looks like it was drawn fast, almost like a frantic note. Next, check out lithography to see how this kind of drawing was made.
