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拍品專文
Wallis remembers the sight of a distinctive schooner with a white hull and white sails. The ship in this painting has a real presence and surely represents a real experience.
Wallis had spent many years working aboard schooners. Indeed in 1876 he had crossed the Atlantic on the Penzance schooner Pride of the West and returned on the Devon schooner Belle Aventure. Part of his duties would have involved climbing the rigging on the rope ladders between the stays, known as ratlines. Seamen had to make sail adjustments at all times of the day and in all weathers.
In this painting Wallis has depicted the ratlines, and on the sails, the reef points that were tied to shorten sail in strong winds. In his paintings of sailing ships Wallis often exaggerates the scale of the ratlines and reef points. It is as though he was telling us what it was like to be a seaman in those days.
Made on a scrap of cardboard, the irregular shape of the board reminds us that a painting is not only a depiction of a ship, but also an object in its own right. There is such life and energy in the depiction of the sea, and through his tactile use of paint Wallis constantly reminds us of the surface of the painting and the materials he is using.
We are very grateful to Robert Jones, author of Alfred Wallis Artist and Mariner, 2018 (Third Edition), for preparing this catalogue entry.
https://alfredwallis.robertjonesartist.com/
Wallis had spent many years working aboard schooners. Indeed in 1876 he had crossed the Atlantic on the Penzance schooner Pride of the West and returned on the Devon schooner Belle Aventure. Part of his duties would have involved climbing the rigging on the rope ladders between the stays, known as ratlines. Seamen had to make sail adjustments at all times of the day and in all weathers.
In this painting Wallis has depicted the ratlines, and on the sails, the reef points that were tied to shorten sail in strong winds. In his paintings of sailing ships Wallis often exaggerates the scale of the ratlines and reef points. It is as though he was telling us what it was like to be a seaman in those days.
Made on a scrap of cardboard, the irregular shape of the board reminds us that a painting is not only a depiction of a ship, but also an object in its own right. There is such life and energy in the depiction of the sea, and through his tactile use of paint Wallis constantly reminds us of the surface of the painting and the materials he is using.
We are very grateful to Robert Jones, author of Alfred Wallis Artist and Mariner, 2018 (Third Edition), for preparing this catalogue entry.
https://alfredwallis.robertjonesartist.com/