Introduction


Since the invention of sculptures thousands of years ago, art has been an innate component of humanity. Paintings are a byproduct of the numerous artistic developments that led to the expression of thoughts in the shape of images that take on modern significance through the blending of various paints. This foundation has produced many outstanding artists throughout the ages, each of whom is distinctive in their own way.

Winslow Homer's "The Gulf Stream" and Martinus Rorbye's "View from the Citabel Ramparts in Copenhagen"


Winslow Homer, who created "The Gulf Stream," and Martinus Rorbye, who created "View from the Citabel Ramparts in Copenhagen," are two examples of these artists. Winslow Homer made the oil painting in 1899 but after a year made some notable changes in it to improve the understanding of the image through the addition of a distant ship in the horizon. Two-thirds of the image is taken up by a raging sea on a boat with a man in it with the surrounding sea inhabited by huge sharks. Sixty years before Homer's painting was Danish painter Rorbye's painting that also featured the marine environment. It embodies three men and three ships. While two of the men appear to be sailors, the other one is a soldier. Two ships appear to be close to the men while the third is on the horizon, a feature that is shared with Homer's painting. The sea is calmer in Rorbye's painting. Despite sharing on the basis of a marine environment, the two paintings differ in the illustration of the sea state and subsequently in the interpretation of the men's thinking and the overall state of hope.

Shared Features: The Marine Environment


One of the shared features that are apparent from the two paintings is the marine environment that is the center stage of the thematic assessment of the drawings. The marine-theme elements of art and literature always tend to focus the reader's mind on the water that is in context relative to the subjects that are portrayed. The sea can either be friendly or life-threatening depending on the manner in which the author of the image wants the reader to conceptualize it. The general trend, however, is that there is usually a combination of water, people, ships, sea animals, and other key features that generally convey the feeling of being at sea. From the assessment of both images, it is undisputed that the artists are sharing on the marine subject because in both, there is a sea. Furthermore, in both paintings, one would note the existence of a ship in the horizon with the artists again preferring to place the ships from a distant place through it is visible. Finally, the water vessels are both inhabited by men who are either sailors, soldiers, or in adventure depending on the manner in which one would interpret them. Thus, overall, it is common that in the coverage of the marine-theme images, the artist illustrates the water, sea vessels, and human sailing on them.

Differences: The State of the Sea


One key difference that is apparent from the illustration of both paintings is the state of the sea. As it is the central feature that both artists intend the reader to focus on, the state of the sea is a key enables one to assume the state of mind of the inhabitant of the sea vessel. In Homer's painting, the waters are menacing and dangerous. The surrounding areas of the sea are covered by sharks that seem ready to pounce on the boat and jump in attacking the man in the process. The other three sharks are also so close and are all waiting for the right time the supposed "meal" will be in their access based on the manner in which they are loitering. The sea is painted with colors that range from bright to almost black to portray the furious nature though Homer added some lighter sections in the later versions of his image. The waves appear to be enormous relative to the subject and the boat is tilted by the artist in a manner that makes one assume that it was tilted n paper (Winslow). Meanwhile, the Rorbye's image is the opposite of what Homer covered about the sea because the water is calmer. The waves are smooth and flat and as opposed to the dangerous ones in Homer's painting.

Interpretation: Men and the Sea


Another significant feature that is worth highlighting as a core difference between Homer's and Rorbye's painting is the consideration of the interpretation that is apparent. In both, there are men alongside with the sea. In Borbye's case, the three people are in the foreground of the picture with their backs facing the viewer as they are focused on the ships in front of them. It is unclear what they thinking about but there are high chances that they are contemplating on their life experiences. The feeling of the moonlight further justifies the possibility of this line of thinking as the viewer would assume they are reminiscing about their past adventures and future expectations in life. The case is also notable in the man in Homer's painting. It is apparent that the boat is likely to be overturned by the raging waves which is a likely illustration of unbreakable forces of nature with the state of hopelessness being common. The portrayal of a distant ship is thus used to illustrate the flicker of hope because the man would expect that before the inevitable happens, he would have been rescued. In both, the men are a part of the nature that they are associated with by now as it is the common assumption that people who live in the sea are a unique breed of humans.

Conclusion


In summary, it is worth emphasizing that art is a common medium that humans have consistently used to portray the experiences of nature and life in general. Homer and Rorbye's painting depict this concept in the manner the artists describe the marine experiences in their paintings. However, while Homer's image is rough with the man only expecting hope from the distant rescue ship, Rorbye's image is calmer and the men are only reminiscing about their lives. Overall, it is seen that the focus on the sea means that the men perceive it as part of their lives.


Works Cited

Winslow, Homer. The Gulf Stream. 1899

Rorbye, Martinus. View from the Citadel in Copenhagen by Moonlight. 1839.

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