Washed Up Ships

Washed Up Ships

Rodolphe BresdinWW-1864-127627
1864·Pen and black ink on brown wove card·Primary support: 17.1 × 11.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 3/8 in.); Secondary support: 31.9 × 23.8 cm (12 9/16 × 9 3/8 in.)

<p>In addition to being an accomplished draughtsman, Bresdin was a proficient printmaker. In its intense detail, and with its clear tonal contrasts, this linear drawing recalls his etchings. Unlike many of his works, however, it bears a date and signature. A friend of writers and poets, Bresdin worked frequently as an illustrator. Although it does not seem that this work was destined for a particular project, much of his imagery borders on the fantastic. The buildings on the shoreline seem to lean with the mast of the larger ship. Above a spire, meanwhile, a flock of birds peppers the sky.</p>

Catalogue

Year
1864
Dimensions
Primary support: 17.1 × 11.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 3/8 in.); Secondary support: 31.9 × 23.8 cm (12 9/16 × 9 3/8 in.)

Artist

Rodolphe Bresdin
Rodolphe Bresdin

Printmaking

Rodolphe Bresdin was a French printmaker and draughtsman of the 19th century known for densely detailed etchings and lithographs executed with meticulous, often obsessive technique. Working primarily in black and white, he created intricate landscapes, biblical scenes, and imaginative compositions populated with minute figures and architectural elements rendered with an almost microscopic precision. His practice anticipated the visionary intensity later associated with Symbolism and Expressionism, though he remained largely isolated from major institutional structures during his lifetime.

Full artist profile →

More

More by Rodolphe Bresdin

View all →
The Water's Course

The Water's Course

1888 · etching

WW-1888-274310
My Dream

My Dream

1883 · Etching

WW-1883-M055272
My Dream

My Dream

1883 · Etching on paper

WW-1883-054299
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes

The Miraculous Draught of Fishes

1883 · Lithograph on gray chine laid down on ivory wove paper

WW-1883-054319
My Dream

My Dream

1883 · Etching on cream laid paper

WW-1883-076635
The Republic

The Republic

1883 · Lithograph on off-white China paper laid down on white wove paper

WW-1883-059272

Record

Verified by WattsOS
Year
1864
Dimensions
Primary support: 17.1 × 11.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 3/8 in.); Secondary support: 31.9 × 23.8 cm (12 9/16 × 9 3/8 in.)
Watts ID
WW-1864-127627

Source

Source
aic
Status
verified

Artist

Rodolphe Bresdin

Rodolphe Bresdin

Printmaking

View artist profile →