The Navigators 1996

Malcolm Morley made "The Navigators" with paint, and probably a brush or two. It feels like he’s trying to get at the essence of mark-making itself. Like, how many blues can you use to make an ocean, and how many stripes does it take to make a sail? The painting has a kind of raw energy. The whales look like they’re leaping right out of the sea, and the ships are battling the waves. There’s a real sense of movement here, as if Morley is trying to capture a fleeting moment in time. I keep coming back to the way he’s handled the white of the waves – thick, impasto strokes that really give the water a sense of volume and depth. Looking at this piece, I can’t help but think of Winslow Homer, another artist who was fascinated by the sea. But where Homer’s paintings are often romantic and idealized, Morley’s are more gritty and real. He's showing us the messy, chaotic side of life, and that’s what makes his work so compelling. It reminds me that art is always an ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and experiencing the world that’s never quite settled.