Humanity is on a quest. Whether in search of something tangible or simply compelled by curiosity, it is human nature to venture into the unknown. This journey of discovery is nowhere more apparent than with ocean expeditions. From the coast, generations of people have wondered what lay beyond the oceanic horizon, and this compulsion to see what is proverbially “out there” has led to creations from canoes to large naval fleets. To this day, the ocean largely remains a mystery, as humanity continues to explore its depths. As we learn more about Earth's waters, the creativity of humanity is ceaselessly stoked. Art throughout history has encapsulated the overwhelming emotions surrounding, and human precision required for navigating, ocean waters.

Distilling ocean expeditions to a singular concept could not be possible. The unpredictable element of the sea means that expeditions take many forms. Oceanic voyages can be serene and illustrate the contemplative beauty of Earth’s wondrous seas. In contrast, uncertain aspects of the ocean also bring overwhelming danger. Ocean expeditions are not always smooth sailing; there is psychological tension from the ominous expanse of identical blue in all directions. Accompanying this dread, are unpredictable weather patterns and violent currents. Expeditions and discovery on the ocean encapsulate both wonder and fear.

This exhibit aims to capture the multifaceted ethos of ocean expedition and discovery. There are many components at play from the engineering marvel of the vessels, to the behavior of the human crew. For this reason a large cast of artworks, some starkly different, have been compiled in this exhibit to encapsulate the nature of oceanic exploration. Some artists have chosen to highlight the human experience, a joyful crew of sailors celebrating, and others have chosen an opposite emotion, the despair of being swallowed by the waves. Even more themes are developed across the host of compiled artworks. So it is time for you to begin your expedition in discovering what this exhibit has to offer.

Théodore Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa plunges viewers into a scene of suspended desperation. Emaciated survivors cling to a fragile raft adrift in a violent sea, some collapsed, others reaching toward a distant ship barely visible on the horizon.

Rather than a clear story of heroism or tragedy, Géricault offers raw uncertainty. There is no central hero or guarantee of rescue as the raft itself feels both a vessel of survival and a symbol of abandonment. The sea becomes a force that dissolves boundaries between nations, races, and even life and death.

In this unstable world, survival belongs not to the powerful, but to those who adapt, endure, and hope. A single raised hand at the top of the raft stands not just as a signal, but as a haunting question: what happens when we place ourselves at the mercy of the sea?

At once a feat of craftsmanship and a monument to ambition, the Model of the Royal Louis captures the grandeur of Louis XIV’s flagship. Adorned with gold leaf, intricate carvings, and over 120 cannons, the full-sized Royal Louis embodied technological mastery and imperial spectacle. Yet beneath its impressive exterior lay a flaw: the ship’s heavy ornamentation made it slow and difficult to maneuver, prompting critics to question whether style had overtaken function.

This tension between beauty and impracticality mirrors a deeper truth about exploration. The sea, both peril and possibility, spurred rulers to dream as much as to conquer. The Royal Louis becomes less a ship than a reflection of human arrogance where risk, when cloaked in splendor, seduces as much as it endangers.

On the ocean, power was not guaranteed. It had to be performed. In this model, we glimpse how nations wagered not just weapons, but identity itself, against the vast uncertainty of the sea.

John Greenwood’s Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam offers a chaotic, satirical glimpse into the private lives of maritime merchants. Captains who once braved storms and distant ports are shown drunk, gambling, collapsing, and vomiting in a colonial tavern. Greenwood even inserts himself into the scene, holding a candle in the corner.

Beneath its humor, the painting critiques excess and privilege. Partially clothed Black servants, likely enslaved, stand silently among the chaos, their presence sharpening the contrast between the captains’ indulgence and the human cost of maritime wealth. The dangers of the sea like disease, mutiny, shipwreck are absent while the rewards of luxury and status are vividly on display.

The ocean remains an invisible force here, shaping both the fortunes and the fantasies of those who survive it. Greenwood’s work reveals that the risks of maritime life extended beyond the physical as they touched the moral fabric as well. How sailors spent their freedom after surviving the sea exposes another kind of vulnerability- one not born of nature, but of human nature.

Fishermen at Sea, is an oil painting, Turner's most commonly used medium, which depicts two small rafts full of people setting sail into the dark of night in search of fish. It is believed, though not certain, that the painting takes place off the coast of the Isle of Wight, a place Turner visited in his youth. The cliffs in the back seem to emulate The Needles, a series of rocky outcroppings jutting up from the ocean near the island. 

The painting is lit only by the moon, illuminating the boat in the foreground like a spotlight. It draws the viewer's eye, and highlights the subject of the painting, but the shadowy darkness on all sides of the raft create an air of mystery and danger. The painting is alluring, yet frightening. There is reward in seafaring, it tells us, yet there is also great risk.

Besides the two ships, there are also three white birds in the foreground of the painting. The birds likely seek the same end as the men, a meal of fresh caught fish. However, for the birds there is not the fear and danger involved, as with the fishermen. They represent the nautral order. For them, this is a usual part of their life. The white birds contrast the dark ships. For us, braving the ocean is no usual part of life, it is a dangerous mission for great reward.

Geoff Hunt (1948-present) painted HMS Beagle off the Galapagos in the 1970s. In contrast to many oceanic paintings, which are often dark and grim, the painting is bright and beautiful. On the left side of the painting, the sky is lit up with the colors of a sunrise. The sun makes us think of discovery, as though a world of new information is being illuminated by the dawn. The texture of the waves shows movement. It feels as though the ship is travelling eastwards, towards the rising sun, and towards a new scientific discovery.

This imagery is consistent with the context of the image. As the name suggests, it is a painting of the famed HMS Beagle. The Beagle was the ship of naturalist Charles Darwin, as he voyaged to the Galapagos to study the local wildlife. His findings there inspired his famous theory of evolution by natural selection, which is now widely accepted by scientists globally. 

This painting displays the discovery that can come from ocean faring. The ocean is filled with bountiful resources, one of which is knowledge. Through our oceanic travels, we have discovered the world, and this painting communicates the value of making such voyages.

The Ninth Wave, is the most famous of the works of Ivan Aivazovsky.  The title of the painting refers to an old sailing superstition, that the ninth wave of a storm is the largest and most dangerous. Here we see a small crew, desperately clinging to a weakly held together raft. The painting shows a group of people in hardship, who have clearly suffered, and been ravaged by some form of storm. Despite all the suffering they have already endured, they are about to be faced with another ultimate challenge: the proverbial ninth wave. It is daunting, and terrifying, the perfect exemplification of the danger and fear involved with oceanic voyage. The sea is a dangerous place, and can often be frightening and life-threatening.

But Aivazovsky also paints hope. Above the crest of the massive wave, tucked behind the clouds, shines the rising sun. The sun represents hope. It reminds the people in the painting not to give up. After the storm, though it is vast and dreadful, the sun still rises on the other side. The painting might seem bleak at first glance, but upon deeper look, it is inspiring. It invokes the human spirit, and the fight that drove us to explore the seas to begin with.

Henri Rivière’s La Vague captures a snapshot in time, the moment a wave crashes onto the craggy rocks of the coast. The lithograph precisely portrays the back-and-forth of the overwhelming ocean and the rocky coast; the curved lines and black patches defining the foreground highlight the turbulent motion of the waves crashing onto the immovable rocky protrusions.

The movement of the scene is achieved through Rivière’s unique style for a European artist, inspired by Japanese woodcuts, uyiko-e prints. In the 1890s, Rivière actually made his own carving tools and acquired Japanese paper to create images from his Brittany home, La Vague being one of these works.

The color palette perfectly embodies the weather in this region of France. Rivière only uses eight colors, in stark contrast to the vibrant palette of the Galapagos in HMS Beagle off the Galapagos. Brittany is defined by its dreary weather and murky water. The distinction between the two locations highlights the aspect of discovery between oceanic environments.

Finally, the composition of the elements invite the viewer to admire the horizon with Rivière. The rocks in the foreground converge like an arrow, pointing at the vast expanse of the sea, and like shy figures hiding on the horizon, behind the turbulent waves, small islands poke their heads out of the water. Rivière invites his audience to the same wonder of what lies beyond the shore, invoking a desire to explore.

Dramas of the Sea by Paul Gauguin is horrifying. The terrifying effect is achieved through Gauguin’s strong implementation of imagery. The curved ocean appears to swallow the boat. The depth of the sea seemingly symbolizes the depths of the sailors’ fears. The overwhelming omnipresence of darkness creates an unsettling feeling of impending disaster.

The terror of the lithograph is also felt through an eerie tension. Negative space is heavily utilized around the boat, creating a strong effect of isolation. Hiding within the overwhelming darkness is the silhouette of a sailor atop a boat, terrified, eyebrows raised, clenching the side edge of the ship, as the intimidating swirls of the waves tower above.

Dramas of the Sea was created within a few years of La Vague, both artworks are from French artists, both works are lithographs, and both have similar dimensions. Despite their similarities, Dramas of the Sea is far more ominous. While La Vague plays on the desire to explore, Dramas of the Sea highlights that the journey is not necessarily simple. The aforementioned elements of dread remind us that oceanic navigation, while wonderous, is also perilous.

Interested in an inspiration behind this artwork? Read the short story A Descent into Maelstrom by Edgar Allan Poe. https://poemuseum.org/a-descent-into-the-maelstrom/

With the use of a fine watercolor technique, Hsien depicts ocean rocks as they delicately peer through the calm embrace of mist or a gentle aquatic coat, creating a symbiotic interplay between the ocean and earth. The soft pastel hues of the watercolor create an air of mystique, while the delicate and imperceptible brush strokes invoke internal contemplation to an almost spiritual degree. Adding to the spirituality of the composition, Ocean Rocks is an ink and color on Xuan paper, mounted onto a gray silk scroll, a format akin to religious documents. Ambiguity in this composition plays off the mysterious nature of Nature itself.

The contemplative undertone of this composition brings to the forefront the awe and beauty of discovering new spaces. By playing on the softer and introspective emotions of the unknown, this piece of art exemplifies the imaginative dimension of exploration (creating imaginary renditions of lands unknown).

Ironically, the positive and mysterious elements come in a form that is similar in composition to the somber Dramas of the Sea. Both pieces rely heavily on negative space. However, in Ocean Rocks the addition of vibrant colors creates an air of mystique and beauty rather than tension. The rocks represent an ethereal beauty, the result of the expedition: the great unknown, new lands, new phenomena.

Hsien combined her expertise of Chinese ink and Western Oil, like Rivière, with a combination of powerful bright colors, and gentle wavy brush strokes to imbue a sense of familiarity. On a meta level, this exemplifies interconneciton across the ocean.

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/biography/J-M-W-Turner/Later-life-and-works - This source explains how Fishermen at Sea fits in to Turner's life and the history of all his works. It helps the reader understand what it means in the context of the artist himself.

www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-fishermen-at-sea-t01585 - Describes the physical location of Fishermen at Sea, and its significance to Turner's personal life. This informs the reader that it could be based on something that he really saw in his youth.

gogalapagos.com/charles-darwin-galapagos -  This source includes the historical context for the artwork. The painting is based on a real important event, for which the background information is provided.

web.archive.org/web/20131104185704/http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/05/hm5_9_0_32_1.html - This article provides information on The Ninth Wave, and its significance to the artist, Ivan Aivazovsky.

framing.indiana.edu/2015/01/05/debating-globalization-ninth-wave/ - This explains the meaning of the title, The Ninth Wave. This is crucial to the understanding of the painting itself.

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/56475/la-vague-henri-riviere - Includes an insightful "fun fact" that Rivière was deeply inspired by Japanese woodcuts, and that found its way into his work.