“Breakwater” is a sketch created by Vincent van Gogh in 1883 in The Hague, Netherlands. This work, executed in ink on paper, is a testament to van Gogh’s practice in the Realism movement, focusing on the study of the natural world and everyday scenes. His artwork is characterized as a sketch and study, capturing the immediate surroundings. The sketch is part of the collection at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The artwork itself depicts a coastal scene, likely that of a breakwater, with discernible features such as the sea, skyline, and the silhouette of a sailing vessel in the distance. The foreground appears to show a rounded structure made up of logs or beams, possibly part of the breakwaters designed to protect the coastline from erosion and storms. The scene is animated with broad, swift ink strokes that convey movement and texture. Van Gogh has used different densities of line work to create contrast and depth, with the darkness of the breakwater against the lighter sea and sky. The composition includes handwritten text that seems to blend into the image, suggesting that the scene may have been a page from a sketchbook where van Gogh also wrote thoughts or observations. The presence of figures and the detail suggests a brisk, lively environment under an expansive sky, traits that are characteristic of sketches done en plein air.
