Thursday, 7 April 2011

Bite 87: Joseph M. W. Turner - Van Tromp, Going About to Please His Masters, 1844

Van Tromp, Going About to Please His Masters, 1844, oil on canvas, 91 x 122 cm, Getty Center, LA
The sea is alive with Turner's quick, slanting brushstrokes. A flimsy ship is buffeted by violent waves, emphasised by dark contours in the bottom right.

Cornelius Van Tromp, the subject of the title, is a Dutch naval officer who 'submitted' to his superiors. He is shown on the deck of the ship, dressed in white and waving with confidence, barely holding on.

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