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拍品專文
Born in Salem on the north shore of Massachusetts and raised in the whaling town of New Bedford, near Cape Cod, William Bradford was surrounded by water and wharves throughout his youth, and he became well acquainted with the details of the ships as well as the effect of light against the water. As noted by a critic from the Boston Atlas discussing his early career, "Mr. Bradford has a good eye for naval architecture, and his 'portraits,' had they other merit, would be distinguished for their fidelity. This is especially remarkable in the facility with which [he] seizes upon the peculiar construction of the model." (as quoted in William Bradford: Sailing Ships & Arctic Seas, p. 6) By the end of the 1850s, Bradford had evolved his subject matter and style from ship portraitist to what his best works are now recognized to be: "detailed presentations of vessels, naturally set on the waters where he found them, often framed by headlands or shoreside wharves and structures." (William Bradford: Sailing Ships & Arctic Seas, p. 12)
In the summer of 1861, Bradford first set out for the northernmost latitudes of the Arctic, visiting Labrador and Greenland to paint some of the earliest images of this remote region. While there, he also conducted an extensive photographic survey, and recorded his encounters with the indigenous Esquimaux people. Nearly every year over the following decade, Bradford mounted additional expeditions to the Arctic, using his photographs and numerous sketches to form the basis of his many later compositions in oil. As noted by John Wilmerding, "An immensely successful career followed in the wake of his pursuit of the exotic, so similar to Church's. Bradford got extensive backing for later trips, and was subsequently rewarded with publication of his accounts in England and the sale in 1875 of a painting to Queen Victoria." (American Marine Painting, New York, 1987, p. 138)
During Bradford's most ambitious trip to the Arctic in 1869, the artist wrote, "The icebergs were innumerable, of every possible form and shape, and ever changing. As the sun in his circuit fell upon different parts of the same berg, it developed continually new phases. On one side would be a towering mass in shadow, on the other a majestic berg glistened in sunlight; so that without leaving the vessel's deck I could study every variety of light and shade." (as quoted in William Bradford: Artist of the Arctic, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1969, p. 20)
In Fishing Off the Coast of Labrador, the artist depicts several ships and boats filled with courageous men adventuring in the Arctic water. The work exemplifies Bradford's mastery of detail with every aspect of the scene carefully rendered. The lines, masts and hulls of the boats are all painted with precision, as are the active fishermen aboard them. Fishing Off the Coast of Labrador also epitomizes the luminosity for which Bradford's Arctic works are best known. The disappearing light changes the sky from blue to pink and reflects off the water in a brilliant orange, while the shadows cast from the icebergs darken to a rich green hue. As the sun sets, there is a feeling of a long day ending--the resplendent sun is about to disappear behind the horizon as it bathes the tranquil bay and the fishermen who are pulling up their last lines in its glow. The artist has also wonderfully painted the icebergs with vigorous brushwork resulting in thick impasto, giving the work depth and texture as he builds up the ice and snow. Through his deft handling of brushwork and detail, in Fishing Off the Coast of Labrador, Bradford conveys a feeling of accomplishment as these valiant men explore the Arctic seascape.
In the summer of 1861, Bradford first set out for the northernmost latitudes of the Arctic, visiting Labrador and Greenland to paint some of the earliest images of this remote region. While there, he also conducted an extensive photographic survey, and recorded his encounters with the indigenous Esquimaux people. Nearly every year over the following decade, Bradford mounted additional expeditions to the Arctic, using his photographs and numerous sketches to form the basis of his many later compositions in oil. As noted by John Wilmerding, "An immensely successful career followed in the wake of his pursuit of the exotic, so similar to Church's. Bradford got extensive backing for later trips, and was subsequently rewarded with publication of his accounts in England and the sale in 1875 of a painting to Queen Victoria." (American Marine Painting, New York, 1987, p. 138)
During Bradford's most ambitious trip to the Arctic in 1869, the artist wrote, "The icebergs were innumerable, of every possible form and shape, and ever changing. As the sun in his circuit fell upon different parts of the same berg, it developed continually new phases. On one side would be a towering mass in shadow, on the other a majestic berg glistened in sunlight; so that without leaving the vessel's deck I could study every variety of light and shade." (as quoted in William Bradford: Artist of the Arctic, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1969, p. 20)
In Fishing Off the Coast of Labrador, the artist depicts several ships and boats filled with courageous men adventuring in the Arctic water. The work exemplifies Bradford's mastery of detail with every aspect of the scene carefully rendered. The lines, masts and hulls of the boats are all painted with precision, as are the active fishermen aboard them. Fishing Off the Coast of Labrador also epitomizes the luminosity for which Bradford's Arctic works are best known. The disappearing light changes the sky from blue to pink and reflects off the water in a brilliant orange, while the shadows cast from the icebergs darken to a rich green hue. As the sun sets, there is a feeling of a long day ending--the resplendent sun is about to disappear behind the horizon as it bathes the tranquil bay and the fishermen who are pulling up their last lines in its glow. The artist has also wonderfully painted the icebergs with vigorous brushwork resulting in thick impasto, giving the work depth and texture as he builds up the ice and snow. Through his deft handling of brushwork and detail, in Fishing Off the Coast of Labrador, Bradford conveys a feeling of accomplishment as these valiant men explore the Arctic seascape.