Module 2 Artwork Analysis

Joseph Mallord William Turner, Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On), 1840 (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

    The painting in itself is beautiful with the use of dynamic colors in the sunset but as you look closer you see a ship then in the water feet, arms, and chains. The painting is based on a poem. The poem says there is a typhoon incoming and the captain threw the slaves overboard to collect the insurance money, which will only be allowed if the slaves died. So the captain threw the enslaved people overboard to collect the insurance money. 

Color:

    There is a sense of chaos with the ocean and atmosphere around the slave ship which can indicate the violence and chaos of the act that occurred. The bright white and linear waves of clouds illuminate the waters, showcasing the suffering of the people in the water. From the top of the painting, there is a clear line influencing the viewers to follow it down into the waters to see the people. The waves crashing with the incoming typhoon and the waves being large and overpowering the people thrown overboard. On the left, there are white, blues, grays, and purples which cast shadows on the ship. It's to signify the guiltiness and darkness of the people aboard the ship. The deep almost not natural reds in the sky signifying the blood of the human lives lost in this scene. The complimentary colors of blues and oranges and purples and yellows intensify each other which creates intense visuals even with the hazy overall visual of the painting. The people in the foreground are small compared to the giant waves engulfing them, which can signify the frailness of humans and the powerlessness of the situation.

 

Line:

    Most of the painting is hazily filled with colors so the few lines visible may have an increased meaning. The ship has the most lines that are defined significantly. As the lines meet the ocean there is much less definition as if to show the waters engulfing the ship. The most distinct lines are the shackles and the leg in the water in the foreground. This may be to draw the viewer's eyes to that point. The rolling of the waves creates a turbulent and chaotic movement to enhance the idea of there being a typhoon. The vertical lines of the waves and clouds on the ship show it might be raining down on the ship as if there is a divine or cosmic retribution. 

 Lori Landay and Dr. Beth Harris, "J. M. W. Turner, Slave Ship," in Smarthistory, December 9, 2015, accessed March 18, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/j-m-w-turner-slave-ship/.