Off Lowestoft; Sea Piece

Artist Nathaniel Hone (1831 - 1917)

Datec.1891

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions86.4 x 128.7 cm

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by the artist, 1908.

Object number209

DescriptionThis is one of Hone's largest canvases and finest seascapes: understated in tone, calm in mood and majestic in feeling. Three sailing vessels are spread out in a diagonal line on a choppy sea beneath a beautiful sunlit cloud. The tilt of the sails indicates that it is a gusty day. Hone represents waves and seabirds in the foreground, boats in the middle distance and horizon, and a faint streak of cloud above the horizon, all with apparent ease. Everything is in its place. The shadow that falls across the middle of the sea is contrasted by the transparent light of the sky above. The cool blue-grey tones of the sea and russet browns of the sails are counterbalanced by the pale mauves, mother-of-pearls and pinks of the sky and clouds, and sweet blue of the upper sky. Although Hone was not an artist who
emphasised symbolism, the three sails of the fishing boats are echoed by the three lines of waves in the foreground, and the three small seabirds who skim the waves. Often in the summer Hone would set off in his sailing boat to journey around the coasts of Ireland, enjoy the open seas, or sail across to England and the Continent. Two watercolours of Norfolk villages in the National Gallery of Ireland are dated May 1891, so it may have been in that year that Hone painted at Lowestoft on the Norfolk coast in East Anglia. This is a seascape painting. It shows two sailboats in the centre of the image. The sea is slightly rough, with foam visible on the waves in the immediate foreground. The sky looks sunny since there are significant white highlights on the cumulus clouds moving over the boats and curving away into the distance. (From: The Collection Revealed: Nathaniel Hone, p. 12)

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