Rotterdam Ferry-Boat, Joseph Mallord William Turner
In the collection of the National Gallery of Art, DC
A great example of Turner’s textural paint handling and dramatic command of light and atmosphere.
Link: Rotterdam Ferry-Boat, NGA DC
This seascape was exhibited in 1833 at the Royal Academy, where Turner taught as the professor of perspective. Conquering the problem of creating a believable sense of space across a featureless expanse of water, Turner anchored the carefully aligned design upon a small passenger ferry. From this foreground focus, a row of larger ships moves backward over the choppy waves on a diagonal line, generating a remarkable illusion of depth. The warship’s Dutch flags and the skyline of Rotterdam pay tribute to Turner’s predecessors, the marine painters of seventeenth-century Holland. In particular, the low horizon and cloud-swept vista derive from harbor scenes by Jan van Goyen and Aelbert Cuyp.
Source: The National Gallery of Art
At seeing the sick passengers on the ferry boat (I know the feeling all too well), at a glance a family of four, father, mother and two small children, I immediately thought of making myself a quick cup of coffee, and simutaneously surfed for coffee paintings, but came up with How to paint with coffee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-RKenY0Iy8