Seascape from the 'Umberleigh'

An atmospheric seascape showing the sun setting in the distance towards an empty horizon, made from the deck of the 'Umberleigh'. The grey sea contrasts with the light effects in the sky, slashed dark purple and coral. The sun appears as a horizontal golden glow in the purple sky streaked with coral, and thick impasto cream paint suggests cloud. The sketch demonstrates the emptiness of the sea and the relative isolation of the ship on the ocean. The dark sea is loosely sketched and the reflections from the sky are shown on the left. Everett travelled on the 'Umberleigh' from Barry, Wales, to Vancouver, Canada, from December 1933 to March 1934. The voyage afforded plenty of opportunity to paint and he recorded that, four days out from Barry, they saw the sun every day until they reached the Panama Canal. He regarded these as excellent conditions for painting with plenty of opportunity for colour and effect. Everett was intent upon capturing the relationship and fleeting nature of light and the movement of waves in an ever-changing sea. However once they passed through the Canal the weather deteriorated the closer they got to Vancouver. Apart from the oil paintings undertaken on this voyage, Everett also produced 75 watercolour sketches of the Canal. The painting is inscribed 'Um' verso. See also BHC0061.

Object Details

ID: BHC0062
Collection: Fine art
Type: Painting
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Everett, (Herbert Barnard) John
Vessels: Umberleigh 1927
Date made: 1933-1934; 1933-34
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Bequeathed by the artist 1949.
Measurements: Painting: 255 x 357 mm