

1083
0
The North-West Passage
1874
The north-west passage was the unnavigable sea route round North America which was thought to provide a passage to the East. In time, it became synonymous with failure, adversity and death, with men and ships battling against hopeless odds in a frozen wilderness. Millais painted this picture in 1874 when another English expedition was setting off. Previous representations had shown the desolate beauty of the terrain with details such as wrecked ships to underline the futility of mans ambition. Millais encapsulates the risks of such a voyage primarily through the old seaman, with his grim, distant look and clenched fist. [source]
- Size:
- 1765 x 2222 mm
- Medium:
- Oil on canvas
- License:
- Courtesy of Tate Britain (Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported))
- For more:
- http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/millais-the-north-west-…
More from this artist...
-
The Rescue 185513250
You may also like...
-
21086
-
THE DEPARTURE 2013Jane Lewis (GB)263913
-
19325
-
11443
-
La Liseuse 17019520
-
Sunrise (Marine) 18731732151
-
1012134
-
1570
-
22919
-
12814
-
13942
-
2504750
-
1313847