Gully at Low Tide

Rust-colored boulders spill down toward the water in John Sloan's "Gully at Low Tide," their warm surfaces broken up by streaks of green and gold where seaweed and coastal grasses have taken hold. Far out past the rocks, white surf churns against a band of deep blue water, and a pale, quiet sky rounds off the top of the scene. Sloan worked fast here, laying down loose, choppy strokes that suggest the wildness of the place without fussing over every crack in the stone.

The painting comes as something of a curveball. Sloan made his name with the Ashcan School, a bunch of American artists who liked to paint the rough edges of New York City life, from crowded streets to noisy bars. So this peaceful coastal view feels like a break from his usual subjects. He spent his summers in spots like Gloucester, Massachusetts, where the tangled rocks and crashing tides gave him something completely different to work with, and you get the sense he was simply enjoying the change of scenery.