Peabody Essex Museum’s “In American Waters”

“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.”