Some of the most notable paintings hanging in the likes of the National Gallery and the Louvre, have quite fascinating links to ships. I’ve picked out some of HEC’s favourite nautical themed paintings, ranging from the religious to the gruesome!
Man Proposes, God Disposes by Edwin Landseer
Man Proposes, God Disposes painted by Edwin Landseer in 1864 is a fictitious piece of art inspired by the search for Franklin’s lost expedition which had disappeared in the Arctic in 1845. The painting is currently displayed at Royal Holloway’s Picture Gallery and is now used by psychology professors to understand human reactions towards images of violence and destruction (I personally was involved in one of these experiments).
The painting depicts an imagined Arctic scene in the aftermath of Sir John Franklin’s expedition to explore the Northwest Passage. In May 1845, 134 men of Franklin’s expedition left Greenhithe on two iron-clad icebreakers HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. Another Arctic explorer, Sir John Ross, warned Franklin that the size and depth of both vessels would not bode well for a journey in Arctic waters, but his advice fell on deaf ears. By July of 1845, Franklin’s expedition had disappeared without trace. This is a fictitious painting of what Landseer imagined the scene at the Arctic would have looked like in the aftermath of Franklin’s disappearance.
There is a very gruesome myth attached to this artwork. The painting was bought by Thomas Holloway in 1881 and hung in the university’s Picture Gallery for the enjoyment and education of the female undergraduates. In the early nineteenth century whilst the students were taking an exam in the Picture Gallery, one girl gorged her eyes out with a pencil whilst looking at the painting. Ever since, claims abound that the painting is ‘haunted’ and will bring upon suicidal thoughts to anyone who dares to look at it during exam time. Even today they cover the painting with a union jack flag during exam season at Holloway!
The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner
This is hands down the most famous painting I have mentioned in this blog.
The Fighting Temeraire was completed in 1838 by Sir William Turner and exhibited a year later in 1839.
HMS Temeraire was a 98-gun second rate ship of the UK’s Royal Navy and one of the last second-rate ships to have played a distinguished role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Launched in 1798, HMS Temeraire served during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, but prior to the Battle of Trafalgar was only used in blockages and escort duties.
The Battle of Trafalgar may have been her only fleet, but it was highly successful, coming to the rescue of HMS Victory and capturing two French ships. It is for this reason; she is remembered as one of the greatest British naval vessels in our history.
William Turner witnessed HMS Temeraire being towed by a paddle wheel steam tug at Greenwich Marshes on the 5th September 1838 to be broken up and scrapped; he captured it in this beautiful sketch.
The Fighting Temeraire has since become world renowned, appearing in the James Bond movie Skyfall, featuring on the back of the 2020 £20 bank note and even being voted Britain’s favourite painting!
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt
I can’t discuss famous nautical paintings without mentioning The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt painted in 1633. This painting is certainly not short of a tale or two…
The painting depicts a scene from the Gospel of Mark- the biblical story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. It shows Jesus’ disciples struggling against the heavy storm to regain control of their fishing boat with their Christ remaining calm and restoring order.
Although this painting is one of many of Rembrandt’s amazing work, people around the world know this painting for its theft rather than its beauty.
It was on display at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston but was stolen in 1990. Two thieves dressed as policemen broke into the museum and stole a total of thirteen paintings. This remains one of the biggest art thefts in US history and remains unsolved!
To this day, the Museum keeps empty frames on the walls as a reminder to visitors that these paintings have not been forgotten and will be returned one day…
It has now become a visitor attraction to view the thirteen empty frames on the wall.
The Icebergs by Fredrick Edwin Church
The Icebergs was produced in 1861 by Frederic Edwin Church. This nautical themed painting was inspired by his own voyage in 1859 to the North Atlantic and is considered one of Church’s greatest paintings. It was exhibited in New York City in 1861 where visitors paid 25 cents to see the single painting. Would you pay the equivalent of £6.90 in today’s money to see this painting displayed?
Church had a great interest in the Atlantic- even becoming a member of the American Geographical and Statistical Society listening to lectures from the Arctic explorer Isaac Israel Hayes.
But this painting was specifically drawn from Church’s own expedition to the Arctic. In June 1859 Church and his friend, Louis Noble, took a steam ship from Halifax Nova Scotia to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. They travelled for over a month around the area, taking a rowboat to get closer to icebergs and making hundreds of sketches in his notebook. On his return to New York, he painted The Icebergs finishing it in the winter of 1860. It is now on display at the Dallas Museum of Art if you wish to take a trip to see its beauty.
Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet
This last painting is slightly more abstract than the others I have featured. Impression, Sunrise was painted by Claude Monet in 1872. Although this painting isn’t specifically about a significant ship, it is one of the most famous nautical paintings of the nineteenth century and represents the beginning of a significant artistic movement. In fact, the painting is credited with inspiring the name of the Impressionist Movement.
Impression, Sunrise depicts the port of Le Havre, Monet’s hometown, at sunrise. It features two small rowboats in the foreground of the image, a number of fishing boats and clipper ships with tall masts as well as a red sun as the focal element of the painting.
This painting was one of a series displayed in Paris in April 1874 at an exhibition called ‘Painters, Sculptors, Engravers’ which was later duped as the ‘Exhibition of the Impressionists’. In addition to Monet, other famous painters including Edgar Degas, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley displayed their work with another 200 pieces on display to 4000 visitors.
There you have it, five nautical artworks. Remember there is always a story behind every painting…
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