Bright Mariner 1933

Editor: This is Wharton Esherick’s "Bright Mariner," a woodcut from 1933. It's a small piece, but those dynamic lines just make me feel like the boat is absolutely flying through the water. It feels so energetic! What strikes you most about it? Curator: Energetic indeed! It sings with a wild sort of hope, doesn't it? To me, it's Esherick's love affair with line. The clouds are practically combed into the sky, and that mast, almost like a prayer reaching upward. Have you ever felt like you were carving away at life to reveal something essential, the way Esherick carved this block? Editor: That's beautifully put. I hadn't thought of it as a process of revealing. I was mostly thinking of the sharp contrast, and the feeling of being at sea. Curator: The contrast certainly adds to the drama. Imagine the patience it took to carve all that detail. Esherick was such a hands-on artist. And that sea…it’s more than just water, wouldn’t you say? It's the unknown, the challenges we face, but the boat pushes on. Makes you want to hoist your own sail, doesn't it? Editor: It does, actually! So much intensity packed into such a small print. I hadn’t appreciated the symbolic dimension of a simple landscape. Curator: Art has a funny way of whispering secrets, doesn't it? Esherick is no exception, as he takes us along for the sail of a lifetime.