Artwork
Line Fishing, off Hastings
Line Fishing, off Hastings is an oil painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Turner had visited the area around 1816 and even sketched the scene, producing a watercolour based on it a couple of years later.
Line Fishing, off Hastings is a maritime painting. It was created by J.M.W. Turner in 1835.
The painting depicts a scene off the port of Hastings in the English Channel. Turner had visited the area around 1816 and even sketched the scene, producing a watercolour based on it a couple of years later.
You can learn more about the artist's use of techniques by looking up the work of artist: J.M.W. Turner.
Overview
Line Fishing, off Hastings is an oil painting executed in 1835 by the British landscape painter J.M.W. Turner. The work portrays a coastal scene in the English Channel, focusing on fishing vessels employing hand‑line methods near the town of Hastings.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a fleet of small boats anchored close to the shoreline, their crews engaged in the labor‑intensive practice of line fishing. In the distance, the distinctive silhouette of West Cliff rises, anchoring the scene within a recognizable local geography.
Technique & Style
Turner translates an earlier watercolor sketch of the same view into oil, employing his characteristic handling of light and atmosphere. The brushwork balances detailed rendering of the vessels with looser, almost impressionistic treatment of sky and sea, emphasizing the interplay of wind, water, and cloud.
History & Provenance
Turner first visited Hastings around 1816, producing sketches that later informed a watercolor version of the scene. Over a decade later he returned to the subject in oil, completing the painting in 1835. The work has remained in public collections, reflecting its role in Turner’s ongoing exploration of maritime subjects.
Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in 1775 at Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, where his father kept a barber and wig-making shop.
Line Fishing, Off Hastings
Lifeboat and Manby Apparatus Going off to a Stranded Vessel Making the Signal (Blue Lights) of Distress
A Harbour Scene with Shipping
Inner Sound, the Mumbles
View on the Scheldt
A Brisk Gale: A Dutch East-Indiaman Landing Passengers
Buying Fish
Aberlady Bay
On the East Coast
A Sea-piece
A Market Boat on the Scheldt
A View of Venice