Sketches of Rowboats (from Sketchbook) 1891

Albert Bierstadt made these sketches of rowboats with graphite on paper; they are now held at the Metropolitan Museum. The rowboat—a vessel carrying individuals across water—is laden with symbolic weight. In ancient mythologies, boats ferry souls to the afterlife, a motif echoed in funerary rites across cultures. Consider the barque of Ra in Egyptian cosmology, transporting the sun god across the heavens, or Charon's skiff in Greek myth, guiding souls across the river Styx. The boat represents transition, a journey from one state to another, often imbued with spiritual or existential significance. Even in secular contexts, the rowboat evokes a sense of adventure, exploration, and the human drive to traverse the unknown. It connects to our collective unconscious, the idea of navigating life's currents, facing both calm waters and turbulent storms. This simple sketch taps into a deep well of human experience, reminding us of our perennial quest for meaning and passage.