There is something inexplicably beautiful about snowy landscapes. This is not the only reason, though, that they figure prominently in traditional Japanese art. For the Japanese, snow is a symbol of purity. The following traditional snowscapes all feature a river or the sea. They reflect the Japanese sense of connectivity with nature; their view of nature as intertwined with the world of the spirit; and their Buddhist-inspirted notion of the transience of things.
How can one tell if it’s a wharf, a pier or a jetty? The question can stump non-maritime professionals. But even some seafarers may not be able to give a satisfactory answer. Dictionaries provide varying definitions, some of which can be a bit vague. The following works of art should be of help to those who sometimes or often get confused by the terms
I am always pleasantly surprised whenever I come across a marine painting by a woman from the 19th or early 20th century. In those days the world of European art was dominated by men. And only few women, such as Leontine von Littrow, who managed to break into this male enclave had a significant ouput of marine art. This makes such works by female artists even more interesting and important.
A radiant moon above the sea is tantalisingly beautiful. But just as enthralling is the moonglade, the reflection of the moon’s light on an expanse of water. The beauty of shimmering water on a moonlit night has inspired numberous works of art…
There are countless works of art that show vessels at anchor. But where’s the anchor? Out of sight, deep down at the bottom of the sea bed. To correct this bit of artistic injustice, I have gathered the following works of art in which anchors are given the prominence they deserve.
How many still send postcards by mail? People now use email and social media to send messages from near and far. Gone are the days when one would handwrite a greeting on a postcard, lick a stamp to paste onto it, and dispatch the card by mail to a friend or loved one. Come and have a nostalgic look at the lost age of postcards:
I have been curious about the “Jacob’s ladder”, the old name for the ladder used by pilots to get on board and disembark from a ship. Not wanting to remain ignorant of the subject, I did some research. The information I have gathered thus far is interesting. Indeed, it is food for thought.
Paintings of glorious sunsets at sea, swarthy fishermen, dramatic naval battles, and heart-wrenching shipwrecks may move and inspire the viewer. But there is no marine art more touching and endearing than that which depicts children by the sea. Here are some examples coupled with a few words of wisdom about children.
Poems about maritime pilots are so rare that ‘Le Pilote de Tonga’ (The Pilot of Tonga) is a veritable gem. But there’s another reason this prose poem is special. It was written in 1856 by Charles Meryon (1821–1868), a French artist, printmaker and naval officer whose biography makes for interesting reading
American artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) painted seashells like no one else. A key figure in the early 20th century movement called “modernism”, she rejected the traditional ways of representing reality. But she had her own inimitable style. For inspiration, she did not turn to the industrial world, as many modernist artists did, but to Nature.
There is something about sailboats that make them attractive to many people. Is it their graceful movement as they glide through the water? The beautiful shape of ther wind-driven sails? Or is it the sense of freedom that the sight of them evokes in the viewer? No matter, sailboats are a delight to the eye. Enjoy the following drawings as you would a cup of home-brewed coffee.
A fortnight ago, I featured in an article some fantastic paintings of fishermen at sea. I called these toilers of the sea “the invisible ones” to debunk the IMO-initiated myth of seafarers as being invisible to the rest of humanity. There is another group of workers who fall under the same category: lighthouse keepers.