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Seascapes and National Pride in Romantic Visual Culture

Curated by Elizabeth Rose Mathie
Three ships and Boat on Ocean

Even in a setting evocative of the mundane—such as that of laborers working through the night in JMW Turner’s Keelmen Heaving Coals by Moonlight, or in the refreshing daytime setting of Richard Parkes Bonington’s Seapiece: Off the French Coast—the sea suggests something more significant in the works of many Romantic-era artists. Whether it be the fading edge of a barely distinguishable horizon, the careful rendering of shadow and light, or the movement captured in the foaming wave, these artists capture a certain mystery, a volatility, in their depictions of water which suggests the power of nature as a whole. This series of images not only conveys the enigmatic nature of the sea, but also implies the subsequent connection between harnessing such a power and establishing a nation’s pride. For an era still learning what lay within its depths and beyond is horizon, the sea held eternal potential, and so the battles waged over who could lay claim to it were deeply tied to a nation's sense of superiority.

Date Published

Date Published
September 2023

Exhibit Items

Ships and Boat on Sea

William Anderson

William Anderson's Frigate is an example of many marine images which portrayed British ships simply existing on the sea. The British flags prominently displayed on both frigates ensure that the observer realizes the connection between this scene and the British nation.

A Frigate Awaiting a Pilot

Large Ship Taking Possession of Small Ship

Robert Cleveley

Robert Cleveley was one of many marine artists hired by the navy to create paintings which were sold to the elite in British society. Many similar images were converted into prints and purchased by the general public (N. Tracy, Palette 5, 72).

An English Man-of-War Taking Possession of a Ship

Fleet of Ships in Battle

Tudor Horton

The Battle of Lake Erie, October 10, 1813 was a major event in the War of 1812. With its many American naval victories (like the one depicted here), the war played a significant role in the development of the United States' national identity (R.

Battle of Lake Erie

Industrial Work near Water

Joseph Mallord William Turner

Keelmen Heaving Coals by Midnight was comissioned by cotton-spinner Henry McConnell along with the painting Venice: The Dogana and San Giorgio Maggiore.

Keelmen Heaving Coals by Moonlight

Boat near French Coast

Richard Parkes Bonington

Richard Parkes Bonington's Seapiece is an example of Romantic-era depictions of the sea as an unpredictable force. The motion of the waves and the leaning of the smaller vessels help to create this effect.

Seapiece: Off the French Coast

Coverpiece of Milton Collection, Ship on Stormy Sea

Joseph Mallord William Turner
In collaboration with William Miller

This vignette of the Lycidas sinking off the coast of England illustrates the connection made between the sea and other worlds.

St Michael’s Mount Shipwreck of Lycidas / The Death of Lycidas—Vision on the Guarded Mount

Two Men Moving Boat to Shore in Storm

William Daniell

William Daniell's hand-colored aquatint illustrates the difficulty of maintaining control of the sea once it had been, in a sense, claimed by Britain's perception of itself as a great maritime power.

Swanage

Boat in Midst of Battle

Tudor Horton

The battle between the Constitution and the Guerrier resulted in an American victory. The prominence of the British and American flags emphasizes not only the nationality of the victor, but also of the defeated.

The Constitution and Guerrier

Two Ships at Sea

This engraving portrays a battle during the War of 1812. This battle, like others in which Americans defeat the British at sea, was taken up as a subject by various American artists. One other example is Michele Felice Cornè's USS “Hornet” Sinking HMS “Peacock,” 1813.

The Hornet and Peacock

Cover Image of Milton Poetical Works

John Cousen, Joseph Mallord William Turner

The sea helps to expand the horizon of this image, increasing the territory offered to Christ by Satan, and thus increasing the potency of the temptation. The open water here creates a "stage" effect which Turner used in some of his other works: the "stage" created suggests future action.

The Temptation on the Mountain

Exhibit Tags

Exhibit Tags
nationalism
visual culture
visual art

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