Peabody Essex Museum’s “In American Waters”

From oceanic voyages to romping in the waves, a new exhibit explores relationships to water.

Painting of masted ships on the ocean

Click on arrow at right to view additional images

(1 of 3) Ship America on the Grand Banks, circa 1800, by Michele Felice Cornè

©2014 Peabody Essex Museum

Masted ship stuck in the ice

Click on arrow at right to view additional images

(2 of 3) Icebound Ship, circa 1880, by William Bradford

 

©2020 Peabody Essex Museum/Photography by Kathy Tarantola

Ship launching from the shore amid blue skies

Click on arrow at right to view additional images

(3 of 3) Launching of the Ship Fame, 1802, by George Ropes Jr.

Peabody essex museum/Photography by Jeffrey R. Dykes

“In American Waters,” a new exhibit of more than 90 paintings at the Peabody Essex Museum, portrays the magnitude of Odyssean journeys, along with the “beauty, violence, poetry, and transformative power of the sea.” Diverse works by artists Michele Felice Cornè, Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Hart Benton, and Amy Sherald, among others, offer a more expansive perspective on what’s been called marine painting. The genre “is so much more than ship portraits,” according to Dan Finamore, the museum’s associate director of exhibitions and Knight curator of maritime art and history. “In American Waters” takes viewers from the importance of shipping, trade, and independence in early America, through the commercial-fishing industry, and into Arctic exploration. It also highlights coastal scenes—and their connections to Native American and indigenous life—along with the timeless pleasures of swimming and bathing under the open sky. For those drawn to New England’s harbors, beaches, and Atlantic horizon, “In American Waters” (on display through October 3) also serves as a reminder of what is central to protecting coastal life amid climate change. “No matter where we live, the sea shapes all of our lives,” Finamore notes, “and continues to inspire some of the most exciting artists working today.”

Published in the print edition of the July-August 2021 issue (Volume 123, Number 6), under the headline “Ocean Views.”

Read more articles by Nell Porter-Brown

You might also like

A Paper House in Massachusetts

The 1920s Rockport cottage reflects resourceful ingenuity.

Harvard Film Archive Spotlights Japanese Director Mikio Naruse

A retrospective of the filmmaker’s works, from Floating Clouds to Flowing

Salsa Squared

Latin dancing fills the streets in Harvard Square   

Most popular

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival

Without Christopher Marlowe, there might not have been a Bard.

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

Explore More From Current Issue

People sit in lawn chairs near a rustic barn at Cider Garden in New Salem on a sunny day.

CiderDays Festival Celebrates All Things Apple

Visiting small-batch cideries and orchards in Massachusetts

Will Makris in blue checkered suit and red patterned tie standing outdoors by stone column.

A New HAA President at a Tumultuous Time

A career in higher ed inspired Will Makris to give back.

Illustration of college students running under a large red "MAGA" hat while others look on with some skeptisim.

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.