Whalers (J. M. W. Turner)
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| Whalers | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | J. M. W. Turner |
| Year | c. 1845 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 91.8 cm × 122.6 cm (36.1 in × 48.3 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| Accession | 96.29 |
| Website | www |
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]
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