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The image displays a seascape with a viewpoint slightly elevated above rocky terrain. The horizon line is low in the composition, allowing the sky to dominate the scene. A dark silhouette is visible on the horizon against the lighter sky. The artist used a subtle brushstroke technique, blending shades smoothly. The color palette includes earthy tones of browns and greens in the rocks, contrasting with soft blues and grays in the sky. Warm orange and pink hues touch the clouds, suggesting either dawn or dusk. The ocean between the rocks reflects the sky, completing the serene composition.
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Sunset from a Rocky Coastline

Jean Achille Benouville (French, 1815 - 1891)

1842

Medium
watercolor and gouache with pen and brown ink over graphite on blue-gray wove paper
Classification
Drawing
Dimensions
sheet: 20.1 x 29 cm (7 15/16 x 11 7/16 in.)
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CG-E
Credit line
Purchased as the Gift of Helen Porter and James T. Dyke
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

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