Bomschuit 1834 - 1903

Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch made this sketch of a fishing boat in the Netherlands in the late 19th century using graphite on paper. Weissenbruch was a prominent figure in the Hague School, a group of Dutch artists who reacted against the formality of academic art by embracing a more naturalistic style. This sketch depicts a 'bomschuit,' a type of fishing boat common in the Netherlands. The choice of subject reflects the Hague School's interest in everyday life and the working class. By focusing on the lives of fishermen, artists like Weissenbruch aimed to elevate the status of ordinary people and challenge the prevailing social hierarchies in Dutch society. To understand this work, we can look into maritime history, 19th-century Dutch social structures, and the history of the Hague School. Such study reveals how art serves as a reflection of its time, shaped by cultural values and institutional forces.