Exhibition of arctic paintings from 19th and 20th centuries

200901131211

The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts has an exhibition called To the Ends of the Earth: Painting the Polar Landscape. New Scientist has a 14 images from the show. Beautiful. Shown here: "The Ice Dwellers Watching the Invaders" (around 1875) by William Bradford.

To the Ends of the Earth: Painting the Polar Landscape

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Why do galleries not put a big enough image for a 768x1024 background?

Do they really think they are going to miss a gift shop sale or provide enough info for a reproduction?

I would think it more likely they will garner appreciation for culture and attention from prospective patrons.

I hate looking at beautiful art that is sized for a taste only. It is frustrating and antagonizing. I'm not asking for something to reproduce, just something more than a tease.

Yeah, I thought they were beautiful too. They exemplify a lost world. That's why I sent in the link from New Scientist this morning.
-Russ (aka Cupcake Faerie)

I just came in here to say what Agnot said....

Casper David Freidrich's The Wreck of the Hope!

Viva Romanticism!

#2 posted by Cupcake Faerie Author Profile Page, January 13, 2009 12:26 PM

Yeah, I thought they were beautiful too. They exemplify a lost world. That's why I sent in the link from New Scientist this morning.
-Russ (aka Cupcake Faerie)

Well, I think you are right. They seem hauntingly beautiful.

But I can't be sure because I can't see much detail. Maybe it would help if I weren't still waiting for the lenses to my latest prescription. But I can see detail on my wallpaper just fine.

I just hope that galleries and museums are benefiting or protecting themselves and their art with this practice of posting 500x326 images of large oil paintings.

Because I won't be enjoying much of the glory of those paintings. I am 3,000 miles from Salem MA, and I won't be traveling any time soon.

Wonderful. Thanks for that!

What would Turner have come back with, if he'd travelled to Arctic regions? Maybe he'd have blown a circuit.

On the one hand I am rejoicing that I live in the next town over from Salem. On the other, I wonder why I am unaware of such cool stuff near my home, and why I found out about it from a site based across the country. I can't wait to check this out.

#8 posted by Fred H , January 13, 2009 4:23 PM

. . . I wonder why I am unaware of such cool stuff near my home, and why I found out about it from a site based across the country . . .

If the Peabody Essex is the old Peabody, it has been a cornerstone of art, history and culture for quite some time in one of the more artistic, historical and cultural parts of our country.

My mother used to drag me up there from Andover. It was always a great treat, a favorite trip and one of the reasons, along with the New York Museum of Natural History, that I like museums today.

I was eleven. That would have been about '67.

I find something of them in every good museum I visit. And there are many.

Get ye to the Peabody Essex!

I like this quote from the very last one:

He painted it as he awaited uncertain rescue on Elephant Island with other stranded survivors of the Endurance.


There is a wonderful catalog for those who can't get to Salem!

For full screen images, check out PEM's interactive here:

http://pem.org/polar/?p=178

Click full screen and troll through the images...enjoy!

DESIREDUSERNAME:

Not bad, but I'll do better (over 3000x2000px):

http://moourl.com/gbuqr

Most of the images in the exhibition can probably be found at Visipix in excellent quality.

http://visipix.com

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