The Walters Art Museum To Show "Setting Sail: Drawings of the Sea"

Written by Paulo Gaulthier Saturday, 07 April 2012 22:19

Baltimore, MD.- The Walters Art Museum is pleased to present "Setting Sail: Drawings of the Sea from the Walters' Collection", on view from June 18th through September 11th. "Setting Sail" features drawings, paintings, and prints of ships, sailors and the sea from the permanent collection of the Walters. The sea, and the men and women who make their living from it, have provided subjects for art from ancient times until the present day.

In the 19th century, under the influence of Romanticism, the sea took on a new emotional resonance, becoming a metaphor for the overwhelming power of nature. This tendency can be seen in the expressive brushwork and somber palette Jacques Dupré (1811–89) used to paint "At Sea", an image of boats beset by choppy waves. At the same time, in an era of global expansion, the world’s oceans were of unparalleled economic importance. Artists were able to draw on a long tradition of maritime painting to depict the strength and enterprise of nations. A number of the works in "Setting Sail" explore the theme of naval conflict, from a painting by Pierre Nicolas Legrand (1758–1829) commemorating the death of Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) to dramatic wood block prints by Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847–1915) rendering events of the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–5).


Others show the varied facets of our interaction with the sea from commercial fishing and ocean travel to pleasure boating and visiting the seaside. Artists have long been fascinated by the challenge of depicting the varied effects of wind and weather on the ocean. "Setting Sail" showcases the variety of media artists use to show the ominous light of a storm at sea, the jaunty angle of a sailor’s hat or the peaceful lapping of water on a sheltered shore. Highlights include the biting, satirical pen of Paul Gavarni (1804–66) and the unsurpassed freshness of the French watercolorist Eugène Isabey (1803–86).

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland is internationally renowned for its collection of art. The collection presents an overview of world art from pre-dynastic Egypt to 20th-century Europe, and counts among its many treasures Greek sculpture and Roman sarcophagi; medieval ivories and Old Master paintings; Art Nouveau jewelry and 19th-century European and American masterpieces. The Walters Museum of Art was born of the artistic interest and public mindedness of just two men: William T. Walters and his son, Henry. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, driven by their interest in art and history, the two Baltimoreans assembled a diverse range of artwork from around the world including everything from European master paintings and decorative arts to Greek and Roman antiquities and Far Eastern ceramics. Together, they collected nearly 22,000 works of art, and in doing so, they built the foundation for a museum that offers a one-of-a-kind survey of 55 centuries of art. Today, the collection has grown to more than 28,000 objects. From ancient Egyptian mummy masks and medieval armor, to 19th-century French impressionism and turn-of-the-century art deco, you will see significant works of art from around the world. The Walters' redesigned galleries present the museum’s world-class collections to their fullest potential. Their installations evoke the original manner in which the art was displayed, and in turn, provide greater insights into the art and a more personal and rewarding viewer experience. Visit the museum's website at ... http://thewalters.org

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