Roy Cross, Derek Gardner, John Groves, Geoff Hunt, Mark Myers
Five world-class marine artists exhibit some of the most breathtaking paintings of ships ever published, in huge, oversize, full-color gallery-quality reproductions. Along with the gorgeous art comes the artists' own descriptions of their subjects and explanations of how they executed their work. The term "tall ships" calls to mind the majestic beauties that graced America's Bicentennial, but this collection also features paintings of such immortals as the Bounty, the Pinta and the Nina. Enjoy the views the clipper Southern Cross saw leaving Colonial Boston Harbor; an 1870 New York Yacht Club race; and many more scenes unforgettable to lovers of art and sailing alike.
Reviews
A superb portrait of the classic age of sail
The clarity and color of the reproductions of marine paintings in this book are nothing less than superb. While the individual styles and, to some extent, the specific subject matter of the five artists vary, I find it impossible to single out any one of them as being "better" than the others. Each is a highly talented artist who brings the past to life in a most convincing manner. While men-of-war are probably the most frequent subject of the paintings in this book, merchant vessels and ships of exploration and even of pleasure are not neglected. It is pure joy to just leaf through this volume and gaze at the wealth of images. Anyone who is fascinated by the sea and sailing ships cannot fail to be enchanted by this book.
Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States)
This is the greatest book I ever found about ancient ship painting. It took me such a long time to find this kind of wonderful book. It is a must buy for a marine painting lover or artist.
Xinq Zhu
Wooden Ships & Iron Men: The Maritime Art of Thomas Hoyne
by Reese Palley, Marilyn Arnold Palley
Tom Hoyne was a successful artist in advertising when, in mid-life, he was diagnosed with cancer and given two years to live. Confounding his physicians, Hoyne lived for seventeen years, during which he produced some of the most dramatic paintings of America's maritime past. This beautiful volume is the first full presentation of Hoyne's work. More than 100 paintings are reproduced here, almost all of which portray the beauty of the fishing schooners and the terrors and hardships on the waters of the notoriously inhospitable Grand Banks.
In addition to reproductions of his paintings, this book deals with the artist's life and techniques. It discusses the fishing schooners and their legendary designers. It also describes life and work on the most dangerous fishing grounds in the world with fascinating recollections of the great skippers of the fishing communities around Gloucester, Massachusetts, and the small villages that lined the East Coast.
This book, along with traveling exhibition of Hoyne's paintings which begins at The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia will confirm the artist's place as a master of marine realism. 100 color illustrations.
About the Author
Reese Palley and Marilyn Arnold Palley, art dealers and historians, spent two decades girdling the world in Unlikely VII, their 46-foot sailing vessel. Reese is the author of many books and articles on subjects both nautical and artistic, including The Best of Nautical Quarterly: The Lure of Sail and The Porcelain Art of Edward Marshall Boehm. Marilyn is a fiber artist and specialist in Danish design. The Palleys live in Key West, Florida.
Reviews
American artist Hoyne does not romanticize the sea and men in interaction with it - he simply paints it. Yet his maritime paintings are more than plain realism, though they arise out of it. By angles of wave-tossed ships, contrasts of white splashes of spray and darker sea depths, near and distant objects, sails caught by wind to make different shapes, the casually strewn, but ready gear, and the rugged garments and practiced movements of the seamen and their calm, but focused expressions, Hoyne conveys the different facets of the natural element of the sea and the labors of sailors and fishermen who have grown so accustomed to these that they seem natural parts of the sea. The introductory text includes the bases of the authors' appreciation of Hoyne (basically because they saw in his paintings a realism with soul) and also the better part of a talk the artist gave at the Mystic Seaport Museum in 1983. Hoyne died in 1989, having devoted the last years of his life after being diagnosed with cancer in 1972 and given only two years to live to capturing the time--now mostly gone--when men in wooden sailing ships made their livings fishing in the Grand Banks of the North Atlantic. Full-page pictures of paintings take up most of the pages. But with these, as well as a number of smaller ones with the introductory text, are annotations or essay-like commentaries on the particular painting which often include references to aspects of this passing traditional work. Though not yet widely known, Hoyne is recognized immediately as in the top tier of modern-time maritime painters. This art book is proof of this, and will stir others to be keeping their eye out for paintings of his.
Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT)
I began by admiring one of Thomas Hoyne's paintings and decided to find out more about him. This book is a very comprehensive and beautiful presentation of his work as well as an excellent mini-biography of the man and his background.
My wife and I enjoy picking the book up at a quiet moment and studying one of the works illustrated to look for all the fine details which Thomas Hoyne is noted for.
Richard Bernhardt
I received this book as a gift for Christmas and it is great. I have been a fan of Thomas Hoyne's work since stumbling upon a few paintings of his at the Cape Ann Savings Bank in Gloucester MA. Anyone who is a fan of Winslow Homer's maritime work would enjoy this book. The authors have done their reseach and give the reader some history on each of the ships and schooners in Hoyne's paintings. Makes a great coffee table book.
M. Godin "MattyWeymouth"
I bought this book for my Dad, who is a water-colorist. He paints tall ships and other types of ships. He thought the book was beautiful.
S. Hill (California)
Hoyne balanced the technical and artistic aspects of his subjects in a wonderful way. In doing so, he crossed the boundary between illustration and art that so often confounds marine painters, and while he may not escape the character of a genre artist, he is clearly at the upper end of the spectrum.
The text is informative and well-written. (For sailors, in particular, it will be chilling to see how many of the vessels that Hoyne painted had short lives and sad endings.) Hoynes' description of his methods, quoted at length, provide valuable insight into the work and the artist.
Jonathan Margolis "Old New Englander"
It's so fulfilling to find the complete history behind the preeminent artist life story. The sea and the fishermen [dorymen] who lived that lifestyle are certainly represented in the highest by this artist. It seems that God Almighty allowed this man the extra years necessary to express his great love for the sea and the men who go down to the sea in ships. Wonderfully, completely illustrated!
Glen W. Seymour (Simi Valley, CA USA)
The Maritime Paintings of Robert Taylor
by Robert Taylor (Author), Edward Heath (Foreword)
A superb collection of Robert Taylor’s maritime paintings, accompanied by commentary on each one by the artist, makes this volume a must for lovers of both ships and fine art alike.
More than 30 works are shown in full color, along with a host of fascinating pencil drawings.
About the Author
Robert Taylor has long been established as one of the world’s leading marine and aviation artists, enjoying unparalleled demand for his original paintings and limited edition prints. He has exhibited with the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Guild of Aviation Artists. His one-man exhibition at the Smithsonian, Washington DC, described by the museum as its most popular ever, was viewed by more than ten million people.
Bound for Blue Water: Contemporary American Marine Art
by J. Russell Jinishian
Bound for Blue Water is written and complied by J Russell Jinishian, an internationally recognized authority on contemporary marine art. Informative essays on fishing , commerce, yachting, military, and coastal marine art are written for the beginning enthusiast and the experienced collector alike. Leading artists bring to life a picture of maritime America from the ports of New York and New England, to Miami, New Orleans, San Francisco and the Northwest. Portrayed here is every waterborne vessel from clipper ships and classic sailing yachts to early-twentieth-century seiners of Gloucester Harbor : from Hudson Bay and NewEngland whaling ships to tugs and ocean liners of the twentieth century; from Boston?s bustling T-Warf , to brigantines in the U.S> Exploring Expedition. Highlighting key movements and artists, this is the book that collectors and enthusiasts have been waiting for.
About the Author
J. Russell Jinishian studied Art and Art History at the Sir John Cass School of Art in London and holds a BFA from Cornell University. He served as a Programs Director for the nation’s oldest Guild of Artists (Silvermine) in New Canaan, Connecticut. He was the art columnist for the Connecticut Post, art reviewer for Art New England, and, as contributing editor, wrote the popular “Bridge Wing” column in Nautical World Magazine. From 1985 to 1995 Jinishian was director of Mystic Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, the nation’s largest gallery specializing in marine art. He is the publisher of Marine Art Quarterly, and operates the J. Russell Jinishian Gallery in Fairfield, Connecticut and lectures nationally on marine art and collecting.
The Marine Art of Geoff Hunt
by Geoff Hunt
Accomplished marine artist Geoff Hunt discusses his approach to painting the stirring and highly accurate historical scenes for which he is so well known.
About the Author
Geoff Hunt is highly regarded for the cover images painted for the Patrick O'Brien series. He also paints scenes of the American Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, or current naval and commercial shipping.
Reviews
Geoff Hunt is possibly the most talented marine artist since Montague Dawson. This book contains dozens of prints of his most beautiful paintings, which in many cases are complete with earlier versions from line drawings to colour sketches. There are many descriptions of how the paintings came to be created, from who commissioned each one to the ideas the artist had about how to execute the commission and how he turned it real.
Most of the subjects concern warships of Nelson's era, though there are a few drawings and paintings of more modern warships or civilian ships. in particular, there are many paintings of the ships of the line in which Nelson served, many of them illustrating real incidents from Nelson's service career. The book also contains a large number of paintings illustrating ships and scenes from the Jack Aubrey novels written by Patrick O'Brien. (In fact, many of the ships which appear in these novels were real historical units which are faithfully reproduced in the book covers and other paintings included - in Hunt's words, "In most cases Patrick press-gangs real ships into his novels.")
The book also includes a number of studies of United States sailing ships, including the first US ship of the line (America) being built, pictures of the USS Constitution, and "General Washington's Wolfpack." Much as it pains me to mention a gentleman who was born in Whitehaven (the town where I live) but subsequently came back commanding an enemy squadron and raided the town, this book also includes some beautiful pictures of naval scenes from the life of John Paul Jones.
Geoff Hunt manages to make ships of the line and frigates from the era of fighting sail incredibly beautiful, but he also goes to some length to make his pictures realistic, even consulting the original logbooks of the ships concerned when he is trying to capture real feats of seamanship. He also consulted the original signal code books before painting the signal flags flown by his warships, so they spell out appropriate messages in the codes of the period.
If you are attracted to pictures of ships from the era of fighting sail, you will love this book.
