Vessels in a Strong Wind was painted by Jan Porcellis in 1630. The painting was created during the Dutch Golden Age of painting and contains distinct characteristics of the Baroque Era. Porcellis was born in Ghent, Belgium and spent time in Rotterdam and London. As an artist working in the Netherlands Porcellis was intent on creating scenes related to life in that part of the world.
The painting represents several genres of the Baroque Era. The movement away from a religious domination in the arts allowed artists to pursue genres that interested them. Maritime paintings were a popular genre, and were especially meaningful in the Netherlands. The painting shows a scene witnessed and experienced by the common working class individual. Genre paintings and catering more towards the merchant and trading class were trademarks of Baroque works. Merchants were the heart of Amsterdam and the Netherlands during the Baroque, and Porcellis created works that they could relate to. As traders became more interested in the arts painters could afford to create scenes that were not exclusively for the rich. Another level of the art economy was created, and artists like Porcellis, painting what they loved in the first place, were supported.
Vessels in a Strong Wind is similar to other maritime painting by Porcellis and other artists in the Dutch Golden Age. The emphasis of the painting is the sky and sea, while vessels are simply there to imply a situation and connection to the people. I was drawn to this painting mainly by the shape and texture of the clouds. The stormy feeling is evident by the lighting and shadowing (another advancement in the Baroque Era). There is a bright spot behind the center, as if the sun is up yet a storm is overpowering the light. Shadowing and light really convey the scene of a storm turning what may have been a beautiful day into something a merchant or trader could truly relate to; a rough sea. I also appreciated how the choppy water interacted with the smoother sky. As the sharp lines of the water meet the smoothness of the water the eye is drawn to the horizon where ships flounder in the surf. Detail is clouded and misty, as the painting is more about atmosphere than displaying the technicalities of drawing a ship.
Porcellis appreciated the sea and realized that there was a growing market for paintings depicting it’s feeling. As the lower classes rose in power and wealth art became more accessible than it had been. The genre of maritime paintings conveyed the feeling and life of the merchant and opened new doors to what was considered worthy art.
Source: Trade in The Dutch Golden Age: Commercial Success in the Netherlands, http://dutch-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/trade_in_the_dutch_golden_age
October 4, 2009 at 3:55 am
Vessels in a Strong Wind, is an absolutely beautiful picture of nature and mankind’s work at it’s best. There’s not a more tranquil place in the world than being at sea. I greatly admire this picture because I grew up on the coast of Florida and love being on the sea. Though in this picture, the weather seems to be a bit stormy with choppy waters, it’s visually exciting. Being that this picture is nonreligious and isn’t tied into anything but the artist’s interest makes the painting beautiful in itself. The Baroque era was definitely a turning point for the merchants with trades. This was a great choice!
October 5, 2009 at 5:14 am
Vessels in a Strong Wind painted by Jan Porcellis in 1630 is a beautiful picture. I love the waves and the roughness of the water. This picture also reminds me of home. I love it, it reminds me of boat riding on a stormy day on the YUKON, and sometimes we do get big waves, which tend to go over the boat. I think that you did an excellent job on the information about this piece, because the baroque era was definitely a turning point for the merchants with trades and this painting shows it. Cool.
October 5, 2009 at 5:32 pm
An interesting and unique choice. It really draws you in like you can feel the intensity of the waters and the wind. It is an amazing depiction of man versus nature. I never would have given so much thought to this painting, you gave a lot of really great information I would not have known otherwise. I love how it ties in to the baroque era and yet it is a painting of somewhere far away. This is not a picture I personally would think of when I think of the Baroque era, and yet it is so representative of the rising of the merchant class.
October 6, 2009 at 8:36 pm
What caught my eye first in this painting were the waves and mist from the crashing waves that were so beautifully depicted. The artist did a fantastic job of making it look realistic. I too love the ocean, and wish to be nearer to it, but for now paintings like these will have to suffice.
The information you gave in your blog was very detailed. I enjoyed how you tied in information on the advancements of Baroque era into your critique of the piece. For example when you talked about shading in the painting. You did a great job of providing background information on the painting, and tying it in to the idea of the rise of the merchant classes. These paintings depict the shift society was going through, and I myself enjoy this painting more than many of the religious paintings of the previous eras. The simple realism and deep symbolism embodied in such a simple, natural scene: a ship at sea. Great choice.