6th Grade Outline

Appreciating Maritime Art

This program is intended for middle and high-school art students, in groups of no more than ten.

The Museum's art collection reflects the many moods of the sea, from raging storms to quiet, early-morning calms. Six pieces from the collection have been selected that are representative of a range of media, styles, and elements of marine art. The focus is on the great age of sail, but also includes depictions of the transition from sail to steam power. In order to create excellent maritime art the artist needed an indepth knowledge of ships, wind, and the sea. First-hand experience helped, and for those contemporary artists who no longer had square-riggers to actually sail on, a considerable amount of research was necessary.