Whalers (J. M. W. Turner)

Whalers
The painting depicts the massive head of a wounded sperm whale breaking through the sea surface on the left, its tail is in the froth to the right and a small boat is being tossed in the center foreground. In the background is a ghostly three-masted whaling vessel.
ArtistJ. M. W. Turner
Yearc. 1845
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions91.8 cm × 122.6 cm (36.1 in × 48.3 in)
LocationMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Accession96.29
Websitewww.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437854

Whalers is an 1845 painting by British artist J. M. W. Turner. Done in oil on canvas, the work depicts a whaling ship and her launches pursuing a whale. Originally created with the hope that collector Elhanan Bicknell would purchase it, the work is currently found in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1][2][3] The painting was the centerpiece for the exhibition Turner’s Whaling Pictures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016.[2][4]

The painting depicts a wounded sperm whale thrashing in a sea of foam and blood. In the background is a ghostly three-masted whaling vessel.[3] The massive head of a wounded whale is breaking through the sea surface is to the left, its tail is seen in the froth to the right and a small boat is being tossed in the center foreground.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Whalers". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 10 February 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Johnson, Ken (2 June 2016). "In Turner Paintings at the Met, the Bloody Business of Whaling". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b Warrell, Ian (2007). J.M.W. Turner. London: Tate Publishing. p. 199.
  4. ^ "Turner's Whaling Pictures". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2025.


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