'Art for the Nation' A Convoy, by Herbert Barnard John Everett (tactile)
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- Synopsis
- Date: 1918. Materials: oil on canvas. Size: 796 x 952 mm. John Everett (1876-1949) is unique among the artists represented in the National Maritime Museum. Although there are some paintings by him elsewhere, he had independent means and sold very few. Instead, on his death he bequeathed practically his entire lifes work to the National Maritime Museum, amounting to 2752 paintings, with drawings and photographs produced over fifty years. Such a comprehensive legacy provides a rare opportunity to examine one artists lifetime response to the sea. Because Everett had no need to earn his living from art, and had a fear of publicity, his work has long been overlooked. It is only now that his diverse and rich output is getting the recognition it deserves. Everetts two passions were art and sailing and these he combined to great effect. He once commented, the artist and the sailor had many things in common. They were both vagabonds and wanderers; they led an utterly unconventional life. Dazzle Convoy - the practice of merchant ships sailing in large groups, either for self-protection, or under the protection of warships - is one of the most ancient practices of seafaring societies. Historically it has also been by far the most effective but one that has often been forgotten between wars. Convoy took on new urgency in the First World War, both because of the old problem of enemy surface raiders and the entirely new threat posed by submarines: in the Second World War the submarine threat, and that from long-range aircraft, made it even more important. In both wars - and despite often terrible casualties in men and ships - it proved just as effective as it had always been compared to the catastrophic consequences of ships sailing independently and getting picked off one by one. The reasons for this are mathematical: the ocean is so large that - at least before modern radar and satellite surveillance - it was just as easy to hide 100 ships in it as one. Moreover, while one may need perhaps four warships to protect 100 merchantmen, one may need only six to protect 200. Any attack on so many may sink a few but not all, and once begun it is the attacker who runs the greatest risk as the escorts counter-attack. It is therefore a highly effective method of protecting ships, lives and cargoes. The Painting Everett's work combines a real sense of modernity with the English tradition of marine painting. This painting illustrates a convoy of ships during the First World War (1914-18). There are six ships in the convoy. The ship in the centre is at the front of the convoy, her bow facing towards you and leaning slightly to the right as white waves break along her starboard side. In the distance are the rest of the ships, three on the left and two on the right. The painting is dominated by the vivid blue sky, the deep blue sea and the white highlights for the crest of the waves. It is painted from a low vantage point, giving the effect that the viewer is also on board a ship, riding the waves. The lurch of the central ship highlights the sense of motion and both its flag and smoke convey a strong wind. On the central ship, there is a large chimney that has a plume of grey smoke coming from it, the wind blowing the smoke towards the right of the painting. In front of the chimney is an "H" shaped mast that has 4 flags flying from the middle crossbar. The 5 ships in the distance are all very similar to the central ship.
- Copyright:
- 2011
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Publisher:
- RNIB
- Date of Addition:
- 04/12/17
- Copyrighted By:
- RNIB
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Art and Architecture
- Submitted By:
- Sarah Bennett
- Proofread By:
- N/A
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.