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The Wreck captures the powerful force of the ocean through its choppy shapes and broken brushwork. The bottom half of the composition is dominated by the remnant of a sailboat that is rendered close to the picture plane. It is almost entirely lost visually among the gray-green waves in the foreground, the sand dune in the upper right, and more distant waves in the upper left. The palette throughout consists of cool colors, highlighted in places by white. The deck of the boat is defined by parallel rectangular boards, which stand in contrast to the more curvilinear shapes of the waves.
In an article for Art News, Greene, at one time a great advocate for abstraction, wrote about ambiguity, which is germane to The Wreck and many of his other paintings. “In artistic expression there are qualities that prevent easy communication, but which contribute to the work of art’s permanence and eventual power. One of these qualities, ambiguity, has been discussed chiefly as it is found in literature. The positive role of ambiguity, when it is not a mere inability to focus, but is a meeting of strong and not harmonious elements, has been described at considerable length. Such esthetic ambiguity can give meaning and power to expression; it will be noticeably absent from academic and conservative art where one often finds ritualistic communication and emphasis upon skill.” [1]
Notes:
[1] Greene, “The Artist’s Reluctance to Communicate,” Art News, January 1957, 44.
ProvenanceBarbara B. Millhouse, New York. [1]
Notes:
[1] Loan Agreement.
Exhibition History
DepartmentCollection of Barbara B. Millhouse
The Wreck
Artist
Balcomb Greene
(1904 - 1990)
Date1966
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 41 1/2 × 55 1/2 in. (105.4 × 141 cm)
Canvas: 40 × 54 in. (101.6 × 137.2 cm)
SignedBalcomb Greene
Credit LineCourtesy of Barbara B. Millhouse
CopyrightCopyright Unknown
Object numberIL2003.1.15
DescriptionSpending time near the ocean has influenced great American artists like Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth. Similarly, Balcomb Greene developed a whole body of work devoted to the sea, which he experienced firsthand from his home on a high bluff at Montauk, the easternmost point of Long Island, New York. The Wreck captures the powerful force of the ocean through its choppy shapes and broken brushwork. The bottom half of the composition is dominated by the remnant of a sailboat that is rendered close to the picture plane. It is almost entirely lost visually among the gray-green waves in the foreground, the sand dune in the upper right, and more distant waves in the upper left. The palette throughout consists of cool colors, highlighted in places by white. The deck of the boat is defined by parallel rectangular boards, which stand in contrast to the more curvilinear shapes of the waves.
In an article for Art News, Greene, at one time a great advocate for abstraction, wrote about ambiguity, which is germane to The Wreck and many of his other paintings. “In artistic expression there are qualities that prevent easy communication, but which contribute to the work of art’s permanence and eventual power. One of these qualities, ambiguity, has been discussed chiefly as it is found in literature. The positive role of ambiguity, when it is not a mere inability to focus, but is a meeting of strong and not harmonious elements, has been described at considerable length. Such esthetic ambiguity can give meaning and power to expression; it will be noticeably absent from academic and conservative art where one often finds ritualistic communication and emphasis upon skill.” [1]
Notes:
[1] Greene, “The Artist’s Reluctance to Communicate,” Art News, January 1957, 44.
ProvenanceBarbara B. Millhouse, New York. [1]
Notes:
[1] Loan Agreement.
Exhibition History
Status
Not on view