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Going to Sea

Online Exhibition


1 of 20
Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) Peak Island and Lobst...

Fairfield Porter (1907-1975)

Peak Island and Lobster Boat, 1968

oil on panel

14 x 15 1/8 inches / 35.6 x 38.4 cm

signed

Leonid Berman (1896-1976) Sachuest Point, Sakonnet...

Leonid Berman (1896-1976)

Sachuest Point, Sakonnet River, Rhode Island, 1951

oil on canvas

36 x 50 inches / 91.4 x 127 cm

signed

Hughie Lee-Smith (1915-1999) Untitled (Man on Shor...

Hughie Lee-Smith (1915-1999)

Untitled (Man on Shore), 1956

watercolor on paper

13 x 18 inches / 33 x 45.7 cm 

signed

Robert Gwathmey (1903-1988) Winter's Playgroun...

Robert Gwathmey (1903-1988)

Winter's Playground, c. 1947

oil on canvas

25 1/2 x 36 inches / 64.8 x 91.4 cm

signed

Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) Coney Island Beach, 193...

Reginald Marsh (1898-1954)

Coney Island Beach, 1939

ink and watercolor on paper mounted on board

29 1/2 x 49 1/2 inches / 74.9 x 125.7 cm 

James Daugherty (1887-1974) Untitled (Joys of the...

James Daugherty (1887-1974)

Untitled (Joys of the Surf), c.1914

gouache and ink on paper

12 1/4 x 16 1/2 inches / 31.1 x 41.9 cm

signed

Jan Matulka (1890-1972) Untitled (Going to Sea), c...

Jan Matulka (1890-1972)

Untitled (Going to Sea), c.1930

gouache on paper

15 x 22 inches / 38.1 x 55.9 cm

signed

Charles G. Shaw (1892-1974) Nantucket Waterfront N...

Charles G. Shaw (1892-1974)

Nantucket Waterfront No.3, 1948

oil and sand on Masonite

50 x 32 inches / 127 x 81.3 cm

signed

Palmer Hayden (1890-1973) Star Boats, c.1930 oil o...

Palmer Hayden (1890-1973)

Star Boats, c.1930

oil on canvas

22 x 30 inches / 55.9 x 76.2 cm 

signed

William H. Johnson (1901-1970) Untitled (Seaside,...

William H. Johnson (1901-1970)

Untitled (Seaside, Kerteminde), c.1930-34

watercolor and graphite on paper

14 7/8 x 18 7/8 inches / 37.8 x 47.9 cm

Esphyr Slobodkina (1908-2002) Ancient Sea Song, c....

Esphyr Slobodkina (1908-2002)

Ancient Sea Song, c.1943-45

oil on Masonite

35 1/4 x 43 1/8 inches / 89.5 x 109.5 cm 

signed

Morris Graves (1910-2001) Birds and Sea Mist, 1943...

Morris Graves (1910-2001)

Birds and Sea Mist, 1943

watercolor and tempera on paper

19 1/4 x 30 1/8 inches / 48.9 x 76.5 cm 

signed

Milton Avery (1885-1965) Gulls at Sea, 1956 gouach...

Milton Avery (1885-1965)

Gulls at Sea, 1956

gouache on paper

20 x 26 inches / 50.8 x 66 cm

signed

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) Untitled (Ocean's...

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011)

Untitled (Ocean's Edge), c.1992

glazed porcelain

22 x 9 1/2 x 8 5/8 inches / 55.9 x 24.1 x 21.9 cm

signed

Norman Lewis (1909-1979) Untitled (Seachange), 197...

Norman Lewis (1909-1979)

Untitled (Seachange), 1975

oil on paper

22 x 30 inches / 55.9 x 76.2 cm

signed

Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) On the Shore, 1956 oil on...

Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)

On the Shore, 1956

oil on panel

13 x 10 1/2 inches / 33 x 26.7 cm

signed

Lee Krasner (1908-1984) Water No. 2, 1968 gouache...

Lee Krasner (1908-1984)

Water No. 2, 1968

gouache on Douglas Howell paper

18 x 22 inches / 45.7 x 55.9 cm

signed

Theodore Roszak (1907-1981) Sea Hunt, 1972 ink and...

Theodore Roszak (1907-1981)

Sea Hunt, 1972

ink and ballpoint pen on paper

14 x 17 inches / 35.6 x 43.2 cm

signed

Louis Eilshemius (1864-1941) Shining Waters, c.192...

Louis Eilshemius (1864-1941)

Shining Waters, c.1920

oil on paperboard mounted to Masonite

15 x 20 inches / 38.1 x 50.8 cm

signed

Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) Untitled (Nostalgia of...

Joseph Cornell (1903-1972)

Untitled (Nostalgia of the Sea Americana), c.1955

wood and glass box construction with wood, metal, glass and printed paper collage

14 x 10 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches / 35.6 x 26 x 5.7 cm 

signed



Artists


Press Release

To download the online exhibition catalogue, click here.

An escape to the seaside signals the arrival of summer days and the restless yearning for adventure. The sea—at once a tranquil oasis and an unpredictable temptation—has had an eternal lure, drawing in swimmers, sailors and explorers with the smell of salty air, the feel of warm sand and the sound of crashing waves. For the arrival of this most unusual July—the seventh month of the year, named for the Roman general Julius Caesar—we feature seascapes in a range of styles and mediums that capture life by the shore: one that is bustling and teeming with sea craft, boisterous crowds, beach games and graceful birds, as well as one of sublime isolation—a liminal place on the edge of the world where land meets the great expanse and unknown of the ocean. These portraits of the sea depict marine pastimes like fishing and sailing, swimming and sunbathing, as well as its inhabitants—from birds and fish to the mythic creatures of our wild imaginations. They evoke all that is unique to the coastal shoreline—from the natural: the shimmer of the sun as it reflects off ever-moving water, the early morning mist that wafts over its surface, the bite of the salty breeze, the call of seabirds on the hunt—to those sights and sounds distinguished by centuries of leisurely human pleasures: the anticipation of cool water on hot skin, the laughter elicited from a wave’s spray, the solace of a shady umbrella, the simple joy of a sandcastle, the communion of friends and family. We hope you find some beach time this summer and, as Ralph Waldo Emerson encouraged, “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, Drink the wild air's salubrity…”[1]

Going to Sea features works by Milton Avery, Leonid Berman, Joseph Cornell, James Daugherty, Louis Eilshemius, Morris Graves, Robert Gwathmey, Palmer Hayden, Hans Hofmann, William H. Johnson, Lee Krasner, Hughie Lee-Smith, Norman Lewis, Reginald Marsh, Jan Matulka, Fairfield Porter, Theodore Roszak, Charles G. Shaw, Esphyr Slobodkina and Toshiko Takaezu.
 

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Merlin's Song," in The Complete Essays and Other Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ed. Brooks Atkinson (New York: The Modern Library, 1940), 80