Zeezicht met storm en gekapseisde boot 1754 - 1800

Louis Binet created this print of a stormy seascape sometime in the late 18th century. We see a capsized ship, the titular “Foudroyant,” amidst crashing waves and a sky rent by lightning. Stormy seascapes were popular at this time, feeding into a sense of the sublime, the idea that nature could be both beautiful and terrifying. But prints like these were also tied to the rise of maritime power, especially in countries like the Netherlands, France and Britain. These nations relied on naval strength for trade and colonial expansion. Shipwrecks, though tragic, also highlighted the dangers faced in pursuit of national and commercial ambitions. To understand this work more fully, we might turn to historical records of naval disasters, accounts of maritime life, and studies of how nation states used images to promote their power. Art always exists within a web of social, political, and economic forces, and it is up to us to explore these connections.