Seapiece: Off the French Coast

Richard Parkes Bonington

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a seascape with large sailboats on choppy blue-green waters. The horizon is in the bottom third of the painting, dividing the sea from the cloudy white-and-blue sky. The boats are seen from a distance, their tall sails in shades of white, cream, and tan. Small dots of color suggest people standing on the decks, but the details are unclear. Closer to us, some dark brown shapes emerge from the water; on the left are three vertical shapes that look like tree branches or driftwood, while on the right is a round object like a floating barrel. Around these objects are splashes of white waves, and in between them is a small V shape that could be a bird or the tail of a fish.