West Wind, Appledore 1904

Childe Hassam’s ‘West Wind, Appledore’ presents us with a vast expanse of the sea, dotted with distant sailboats under a sky that is barely there. The sea, a symbol of the unconscious, the unknown, the eternal feminine. Consider how the sea, or “mare,” has been depicted throughout time. From the ancient myths of Poseidon and Neptune, masters of the seas and personifications of its overwhelming power, to Botticelli’s Venus emerging from the waves, reborn through the sea’s maternal embrace. This image invokes a primal human connection. The vastness of the sea, that which we cannot contain, represents the chaotic, emotional forces within us. Even the small boats we see here, symbols of human exploration and control, are dwarfed by the immensity of the ocean. We are reminded of the inherent limitations of human endeavor. The sea persists, a constant undercurrent in our collective memory, echoing through art, myth, and the depths of our subconscious.