Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

Jacksonville, Florida

904-356-6857



 

Romancing the Sea: Contemporary American Marine Art

 

Don Michael, Closing Visibility

 

Beginning November 20, 1997 visitors to The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens will be able to explore the imaginative quality of marine art. Ships, oceans, sailors and sunsets will be featured in the multi-media juried exhibition of the American Society of Marine Artists.

The exhibition will feature over ninety pieces of art by sixty-five participating artists from across the United States. The variety of mediums includes oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, graphite, etchings, scrimshaw, and bronze sculpture. The American Society of Marine Artists continue ancient traditions of marine art, as established by well-known artists such as Thomas Hoyne, John Atwater, Willard Bond, Raymond Massey, among others who are included in the exhibition. Works are dated from 1987 through 1997, with the majority being completed in 1996.

The artists illustrate their passion for the opposing forces of the sea through images of crashing waves and heaving ships, whaleboats, sloops, fishing schooners, lighthouses, and even dolphins at play. Seascapes from both coasts of the United States are featured; some examples are Maine, Hilton Head Island, the Oregon Coast, and Florida coastal water ways.

The challenge for contemporary marine artists has been to incorporate changing artistic movements of the twentieth-century into the established parameters of traditional marine art. Romancing the Sea: Contemporary American Art reveals their success in meeting these artistic challenges through a variety of solutions and techniques. The art is contemporary and primarily representational with a few variations into abstract art.

Romancing the Sea: Contemporary American Art will be on display at The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens from November 20, 1997 until February 28, 1998. A full color catalogue is available, showcasing the exhibition's highlights.

Romancing the Sea: Contemporary American Art has been sponsored by Jacksonville-based large ship builder and ship repair contractor, Atlantic Marine, Inc./Atlantic Dry Dock, Corp.

John Atwater, Fog Bank off the Hypocrites

 

Text and images courtesy of The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens.


Search for more articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.

This page was originally published in 1997 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information.

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