An area of dark tone in the lower right corner balances a light tone in the upper left. In both works the horizon is placed roughly at the golden mean position.
Steamer on the Far Horizon, 1873
Henry Moore is one of the finest maritime painters in the history of British art, but in most of his paintings, you have to look pretty hard to find the boat. The diminutive scale of the boats adds to the impression of the sea's vastness and power. As his obituarist in The Times wrote, in 1895: “His delight was in the sea itself and in atmosphere…” He was a master painter of waves - so much so that there is no need for other elements such as coastlines, clouds or clearly visible shipping.
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