Oceans Rowan FOrtenberry
The ocean is vast. Beyond just its size, it can culturally catalyze many topics. From religious paintings depicting biblical scenes, a relaxing scene at the beach, or a piece viscerally depicting desperate pleas for survival, the ocean is culturally important from the most relaxed artworks to the cruelest.
The ocean is something almost anyone can personally experience. Because of this, there are a sea of interpretations of the same thing. Understanding the variety of meanings is important not just for understanding artwork, but understanding the many cultures attached to them.
Joys of the Ocean
For many the ocean has evoked a sense of tranquility, beauty, or entertainment. These oceans create positive emotions.
Yellow Seacoast by Georges Braque 1906
Ocean Cliffs by Eyvind Earle in 1992
Sea Coast in Normandy by Gustave Courbet in 1867
Wounded Foot by Joaquín Sorolla in 1909
Yellow Seacoast by Georges Braque 1906
Yellow Seacoast uses unique colors and lines to capture the serenity of a seacoast.
(Form) Yellow Seacoast uses warm colors from white to red to color the boats, land, and part of the sea. This gives a comforting tone to much of the seacoast. The sky is covered in distinct diagonal lines. The direction of the stripes and the greater amount of warm color on the right side gives a directional force of the sun and makes the heat of the sun more tangible. The sea contains curved lines of contrasting warm and cool colors which ease the warmth of the artwork.
Ocean Cliffs by Eyvind Earle in 1992
Ocean Cliffs captures the tranquility of the ocean.
(Content, Form) This artwork is initially very harsh, having a dark value from it's largely black composition. However, the ripples in the ocean create very organic shapes that evoke a sense of stillness. Additionally, the rocks have an abundance of creatures that makes the location appear healthy. The artwork creates an asymmetrical balance between the ocean and shore by leading a visual line between them, created by the contrast of the dark water and brighter rocks.
Sea Coast in Normandy by Gustave Courbet in 1867
This piece shows the beauty of the ocean.
(Form) This artwork looks from a beach into the ocean. The rock on the bottom right and the sail boat a bit to the left of the middle create an asymmetry, but the horizontal line for the horizon makes the work stand still. The work uses mostly blue, but the light value of the sky stops the work from being cold, the rocks being red further introduces warm colors. The ocean water is a deep, almost purple, blue which contrasts the pale sky above and tan sand below and makes it the focal point of the calm landscape, exuding a sense of beauty.
Wounded Foot by Joaquín Sorolla in 1909
The Wounded Foot contrasts the playful entertainment of the ocean with a wounded foot.
(Content, Form) The artwork's focal point is the injured kid's foot, the two children's limbs create an array of diagonal lines that lead the eyes to the foot. The two children have their faces obscured with their vision looking down at the foot which further highlights it. In contrast to the injury, the children in the background are grouped together, their diagonal posture suggesting playful movement and their bodies blending with the sandy water.
Terrors of the Ocean
For many the Ocean has evoked a sense of isolation, danger, or desperation which demands respect. These artworks depict the cruel aspects of the ocean.
At night. Blue wave by Ivan Aivazovsky in 1876
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt in 1633
The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai in 1831
Seal Rocks, Pacific Ocean, California by Albert Bierstad in 1872
At night. Blue wave by Ivan Aivazovsky in 1876
At Night. Blue wave conveys the sense of isolation in the ocean.
(Content, Context) Much of Ivan Aivazovsky's work depicted the ocean. He spent part of his life sailing in the with military and studying Battle Scenes. Aivazovsky painted many of his works largely from memory. This artwork shows a boat on the right third of the artwork. The boat is tilted at a very steep angle, contrasting the flat waters in comparison to many other works. The majority of the space is dedicated to the sky and sea which get dark as they approach the horizon, but there is nothing in expansive area that shows anything but endless sea.
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt in 1633
This artwork shows the desperation the ocean causes.
(Content, Form) This artwork centers around a boat. The boat is at a steep angle because of the rough waters of the sea and people desperately cling to the ship to stay aboard. The people at the top of the boat are highlighted by the sun and contrast the dark blue sky and sea. The choppy ocean waters are made with curved lines emphasizing their movement and the diagonal lines from the ship's mast and hull emphasizes the instability. The people and hull create an implied triangle. At the bottom, in the shadows, people are scared or unwell. At the top, people cling to the pole and ropes, desperate to hold on as the boat is tossed in the waves.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai in 1831
This artwork emphasizes the scale and strength of the ocean.
(Form, Content) Grand waves stretch across the artwork, creating smooth curved lines that show the movement of the waves. The waves create visual lines leading to the peak of the largest wave. A chaotic repeated pattern that seems to be reaching for the boats down below. The boats are miniscule compared to the waves around them, but they are filled with many people, the scale of the waves are further shown by the artwork using diminution to show the wave as larger than Mt. Fuji.
Seal Rocks, Pacific Ocean, California by Albert Bierstad in 1872
This artwork shows the treacherous lifestyle of the ocean.
(Content, Form) The artwork shows an overcast sky and dark green water. These colors appear faded and lifeless in contrast to the rich brown rocks and seals. With the limited space, seals crowd on top of the rocks to get out of the water. The ocean is made of gray, green, and blue, cold colors which convey the chill of the ocean. The water is rough, crashing against the rocks and turning white. The waves in the ocean create diagonal lines which further enhance their speed and momentum.
The Ocean in Cultural Pieces
Rather than show the ocean in a certain way, they use the ocean to empower the message they previously wanted.
St. Peter Invited to Walk on the Water by Francois Boucher in 1766
The Ocean Palace by Maurice Prendergast in 1895
Oceanic bathroom by Jacek Yerka in 20th century
Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault in 1818-19
“St. Peter Invited to Walk on the Water” by Francois Boucher, 1766.
This artwork shows way the ocean is used to empower the the story of St. Peter.
(Content, form) In the bible, After Jesus invited Peter onto the water, Peter feared the stormy waves and asked for help. This causes Jesus to grab Peter, but also to question his lack of faith. The artwork emphasizes the dangerous ocean by contrasting the pale, turbulent skies and whitewater with the dark turquoise ocean. Jesus wears an outfit that is made of the warm colors red and light blue colors which accentuates his good nature. Peter is crouched on the water, unsure of his footing and is reaching up to Jesus which creates a diagonal line adding to the instability of the artwork and Peter’s fear of the ocean.
The Ocean Palace by Maurice Prendergast in 1895
This artwork uses the ocean to emphasis the strength of the ship.
(Form, Content) The entire artwork is created with cold colors, blue and white. The bottom half of the artwork features choppy waves, shown with lines parallel to their direction to emphasis their movement. A bit above the middle of the artwork, the "Ocean Palace" stretches horizontally across the whole artwork. Diminution and linear perspective makes the ship appear smaller yet it still stretches across the frame. Above the ship, vertical lines depict a heavy downpour of rain, intensifying the stormy waters below. What appear to be birds flock in the foreground of the bottom half of the artwork, the chaotic rhythm of them hinting at intense winds. In spite of these dire conditions, the "Ocean Palace" sails strong and provides shelter to those inside.
Oceanic bathroom by Jacek Yerka in 20th century
This artwork shows how the ocean can fuel creative ideas of imagination and horror.
(Content) In this artwork a bathroom is covered in biotic material. A narrow window to the outside shows a gargantuan sea creature. Many strange creatures exist in the real ocean such as the giant squid or anglerfish which gives a believability to the existence. The bathroom itself is morphing into various creatures such as the toilet clam pearl or the eye behind it, the ocean encroaches into the bathroom further tightening the space. The artwork uses the ocean and ocean life to create horror and claustrophobia.
Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault in 1818-19
This artwork uses the ocean to enhance its dire situation and raise the strength of the people.
(Context, Content) In 1816, the Medusa was a ship that wrecked on a sand bar. While the people of high status boarded the life boats, 150 people of lower origin were forced to create their own raft. Eventually, they were saved by the ship barely visible in the distance, but only 10 survived. People had resorted even to cannibalism to survive. Gericault created this artwork in inspiration. The people aboard the raft create an implied triangle, the bottom showing the dead and the mourning, but the top shows people raising a man up. He is waving down a ship in the distance with a red cloth. The bodies of the people, in contrast to their malnourished state, are sculpted and muscular showing a strength.
I hope this tour has helped in understanding oceans. The oceans have been around long before us and have impacted many cultures. Whether it be for appreciating an artwork or understanding a culture, oceans have diverse meanings.