Bible Reading Aboard the Tegetthoff
Artist
Edwin Dickinson
(American, 1891 - 1978)
Date1926
MediumOil on cardboard
DimensionsOverall: 20 x 24in. (50.8 x 61cm)
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand H. Davis
Terms
Object number68.36
Description On View
On viewCollections
Copyright© Estate of Edwin Dickinson.
Label TextThe Tegetthoff was an Austrio-Hungarian scientific expedition to the North Pole that departed Norway in July 1872. The ship was trapped in an ice floe and drifted for two years; fortunately no hands were lost.
Dickinson, who was fascinated by polar exploration, found in this dramatic experience of human endurance a great subject. He depicted the crew in tones of black and gray, standing in a circle listening to the central figure reading from a large book. One of them to the left strangely seems to be enveloped in a large dark sail. Dickinson’s use of somber colors, indistinct brushwork, and uncertain space creates an unsettled atmosphere that is appropriate for the theme.
Mary E. Murray
Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
