Defiance…
The story of the Flying Dutchman is very ancient and has many variations. It tells how a Dutch ship captain swore on the true cross that he could sail round the Cape of Good Hope against adverse winds. God cursed him for his blasphemy by the halt of time; he could never reach port until his son should bring a fragment of the true cross for him to kiss.
Here, Ryder shows the son with outstretched arms, hailing his father's phantom ship; he has grown old himself without yet releasing his father from the curse.
Pictured: Albert Pinkham Ryder, Flying Dutchman, about 1887; oil, 14 1/4 x 17 1/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly.
Part 3
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Flying Dutchman
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