Boats off the coast, storm approaching
As he approached fifty, Cotman abandoned oil painting after a number of his works failed to sell and instead refocused his ambitions on watercolor. This luminous seascape demonstrates his mature mastery of the medium. The fishing boat threatened by a storm may allude to the artist’s personal struggles, but more obviously it pays tribute to J. M. W. Turner’s famous painting Dutch Boats in a Gale (1801; National Gallery, London), as both works are centered on a sharply canted, golden-sailed fishing boat, distant warship, and looming clouds. More generally, Cotman is declaring his admiration for seventeenth-century Dutch seascapes while also demonstrating how watercolors can effectively convey effects of light and weather. To produce the milky, foam-topped waves, for example, he experimented with mixing flour paste into his washes.
Artwork Details
- Title: Boats off the coast, storm approaching
- Artist: John Sell Cotman (British, Norwich 1782–1842 London)
- Date: 1830
- Medium: Watercolor over traces of graphite, with gouache (bodycolor), scratching out, stopping out, and gum arabic
- Dimensions: Sheet: 18 9/16 × 25 11/16 in. (47.2 × 65.2 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Charles and Jessie Price Gift, 2017
- Object Number: 2017.75
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Multiple artists/makers
1822
John Sell Cotman
1838
John Sell Cotman
1838
John Sell Cotman
ca. 1818
John Sell Cotman
1803
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.