Peter Delman
The Endurance Icebound.jpg

The Endurance Icebound – 1915

This is my second painting based on the story of the "Endurance".  In 1915 the expedition to explore Antarctica led by Ernest Shackleton came to an abrupt halt as their ship became trapped in ice that methodically pulverized it. Their perilous journey in open boats to eventual rescue is one of the great sagas of seamanship. This painting is based on an image that I came across after a year of looking. It spoke to me because it told the story of the famous shipwreck so dramatically. The crew member, casually smoking his pipe, seems little concerned as he gazes at the pitiful wreckage of his once powerful ship. At this point the chances of rescue were none, and the likelihood of surviving was slight. Also, the ropes and cables strewn over the ice create an abstract pattern that reminded me of the works of Jackson Pollock.

 

The Endurance Icebound – 1915
2018
oil on canvas
38 x 48”

This is my second painting based on the story of the "Endurance".  In 1915 the expedition to explore Antarctica led by Ernest Shackleton came to an abrupt halt as their ship became trapped in ice that methodically pulverized it. Their perilous journey in open boats to eventual rescue is one of the great sagas of seamanship. This painting is based on an image that I came across after a year of looking. It spoke to me because it told the story of the famous shipwreck so dramatically. The crew member, casually smoking his pipe, seems little concerned as he gazes at the pitiful wreckage of his once powerful ship. At this point the chances of rescue were none, and the likelihood of surviving was slight. Also, the ropes and cables strewn over the ice create an abstract pattern that reminded me of the works of Jackson Pollock.