Phoenician Coast
1934
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
etching
Dimensions
sheet: 27.7 × 43.6 cm (10 7/8 × 17 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. James McBey
Accession Number
1963.14.7
Art Historical Context
James McBey’s “Phoenician Coast,” created in 1934, captures the dramatic sweep of the Mediterranean shoreline with quiet power. A Scottish artist celebrated for his travels, McBey often drew inspiration from the historic lands of the ancient Phoenicians, translating rugged cliffs and open sea into a scene that feels both timeless and immediate. The work reflects his deep interest in landscape as a bridge between geography and human history. Executed as an etching, the print demonstrates the medium’s distinctive ability to render fine lines and rich tonal contrasts through the careful biting o...
About the Artist
James McBey
James McBey (1883–1959) was a Scottish artist renowned for his etchings and paintings, emerging from humble beginnings in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, as the illegitimate son of a blacksmith's daughter. Largely self-taught, he left school at fifteen to work as a bank clerk in Aberdeen, where he devoured art books from the public library and attended evening classes at Gray's School of Art to hone his ...