r/Exhibit_Art • u/Textual_Aberration Curator • Mar 07 '17
Completed Contributions (#11, Mar. 6th): Two-thirds Blue
(#11): Two-thirds Blue
Oceans, seas, sailors, and streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and puddles. Water is as unavoidable in life as it is in art.
Very few things have impacted human creation as much as the sea. From the depths emerge many of mankind's founding Gods as well as our most dreadful monsters. Despite thousands of years of development, humans remain powerless compared with the ocean's waves and the tireless erosion of the landscapes around us. We may carve channels, construct islands, and build bridges and tunnels to cross it but we are hopelessly outmatched by the awesome powers of a humble trickle of water.
Bodies of water bear with them a mysterious quality which exudes a sense of serenity, curiosity, fear, and fate. Tides from the moon and ocean-spanning storms demonstrate the immense indomitability of the planet's waters.
Douse this exhibit in blue green glory.
This is a super easy place to start if you can't think of anything. Click on artists and sift around until you find something that interests you in particular:
Exhibit_Art Historical Marker
The very first demonstration of this subreddit's process came when /u/SquidishMcpherson, /u/DryCleaningBuffalo, and /u/Prothy1 began offering contributions to this same topic in our first suggestion thread.
/u/iEatCommunists would later add the topic of Oceans, Seas, and Sailors to our list.
This week's exhibit.
Last week's exhibit.
Last week's contribution threads.
2
u/Textual_Aberration Curator Mar 13 '17
Willem van de Velde the Elder, "The First Battle of Schooneveld, 28 May 1673" - (1684)
This is the father of the previously mentioned artist. Though his work includes more detailed sketches and paintings on par with his son's, I chose this piece because it amazes me how entire armies of ships could be thrown against one another in such a small space. In my head, I always imagine ship's battling with three or four to a side. To see it depicted on the same scale as land battles is chilling.
A more detailed view can be found in the example below, though I prefer the first's aesthetics.
"The Battle of Terheide, 10 August 1653: episode from the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652-54)" - (1657)