A Beach Scene with Fishermen
- Artist: Ludolf Bakhuizen
- Date: about 1665
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "A Beach Scene with Fishermen" by Ludolf Bakhuizen. Painted in about 1665, you can see here the early work of a Dutch painter who would later become known for his turbulent seas.
Look at the sky - those high puffy clouds soaring and spiraling upwards are beautifully captured in the bright blue above. And down below, the surf is running fast onto the beach, leaving wet sand behind. The artist's attention to detail is evident even here, with the scumbled curves of white capturing the movement of the waves.
Notice how the light catches the sail and the smock of one of the fishermen as he leans over the stern of his boat. And look at that young man strolling on the beach in his smart clothes - a bit out of place among the windswept fishermen, don't you think?
There's also a sense of work and industry here, with the woman bargaining with someone in the group on the left, her black bodice and collar standing out against the lighter colors. And the children playing near the small boat are having the time of their lives.
It's interesting to note that even at this early stage, Bakhuizen is hinting at the direction his later work will take - towards those huge, turbulent seas we see in some of his other paintings.
See it in person
A Beach Scene with Fishermen hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
