Sketches of Marine Scenes (recto); Two Sketches: Beside Stormy Coast, Cloudy Seascape

The work Sketches of Marine Scenes (recto); Two Sketches: Beside Stormy Coast, Cloudy Seascape, attributed to Édouard Manet (French, 1832-1883), provides a rare, immediate insight into the artist’s exploratory drawings. Executed primarily in watercolor and graphite on off-white wove paper, this piece showcases a sophisticated study of light and atmosphere, demonstrating Manet's facility with rapid observation.

The double-sided nature of the sheet offers contrasting views of Manet’s draftsmanship. The recto side is dominated by marine scenes rendered primarily in watercolor and graphite, capturing the essence of the sea’s movement. The verso, meanwhile, contains two distinct yet related sketches, designated Beside Stormy Coast and Cloudy Seascape, where the artist employed watercolor with traces of graphite, heightened specifically with touches of white gouache to bring immediacy and highlight turbulent conditions.

Dating from the span of 1852-1883, this drawing covers much of Manet’s mature career, during which he frequently explored coastal themes, challenging traditional academic painting conventions prevalent in France. These sketches emphasize the artist’s commitment to capturing transient natural elements, rather than creating polished final compositions. This vital study is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, contributing to the public domain availability of Manet's preparatory pieces. The existence of such works confirms the role of drawing in the artist's process, and high-quality prints derived from these delicate watercolor studies allow for broader appreciation of the mastery inherent in Manet’s preliminary work.