Artworks depicting people who are cast ashore after a storm or shipwreck can be very moving. They are reminders, not only of the indifferent power of the sea, but of the vicissitudes of life and the human struggle. The following are five such works that tug at the heartstrings.
After the Hurricane, Bahamas, 1899
Watercolor and graphite on wove paper
Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910)
Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
A muscular fisherman lies beside his damaged boat, swept ashore by a hurricane like the brown seaweeds around him. The scene calls to mind the words of Polish writer Joseph Conrad in his 1906 novel, The Mirror of the Sea: “The sea — this truth must be confessed — has no generosity. No display of manly qualities — courage, hardihood, endurance, faithfulness — has ever been known to touch its irresponsible consciousness of power.”
La tempête ou L’épave (The Storm or The Wreck), 1800 / 1825
Oil on canvas
Théodore Géricault (French, 1791–1824)
Courtesy of the Lourvre
A female castaway lies on a rocky shore against the backdrop of a stormy sea and a dark, foreboding sky. A closer look at the figure will reveal that the woman is hugging a small child, who appears pallid and lifeless. This dramatic painting speaks volumes about a mother’s love.
Castaways Arriving at the Coast, 1793–1800
Oil on canvas
Jean-Baptiste Pillement (French, 1728–1808)
Courtesy of Museo del Prado
Shipwreck survivors find refuge on the coast, their individual postures reflecting a range of emotions. The towering rocks make the figures look tiny and insignificant. It is a stark reminder that man, for all his hubris, is a puny creature in a vast universe.
Stormy weather at sunset, 1862
Oil on cloth
Théodore Gudin (French, 1802–1880)
Courtesy of Amsterdam Museum
The three castaways next to the rock arch gaze at the setting sun. They seem to admire its beauty in the stormy weather. Meanwhile, two other men are busy rescuing a woman dressed in white (lower righthand side of the painting). One could view the painting as an allegory of life—its highs and lows, its beauty and terror.
Castaways, 19th century (circa 1880)
Oil on canvas
Félix Cogen (Belgian, 1838–1907)
Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts Ghent
A crowd of fisherfolk gather around a man who has just been taken off a wrecked fishing boat. In the background, another man is being carried to shore. Shock and grief are writ on the faces of the onlookers. The figures are arranged as in a tableau, creating a sense of theater. Fishing is a dangerous profession, and this painting says it all.
~ Barista Uno
