Blue Sail Fleet Returns

Earl Cunningham, Blue Sail Fleet Returns, after 1949, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mennello, 1988.64
Earl Cunningham, Blue Sail Fleet Returns, after 1949, oil on fiberboard, 16 1⁄2 x 36 1⁄4 in. (41.8 x 92.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mennello, 1988.64

Artwork Details

Title
Blue Sail Fleet Returns
Artist
Date
after 1949
Location
Dimensions
16 1⁄2 x 36 1⁄4 in. (41.8 x 92.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mennello
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Waterscape — time — sunset
  • Waterscape — harbor
  • Animal — bird
  • Architecture — boat — sailing ship
Object Number
1988.64
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1988.64

Artwork Description

Earl Cunningham painted more than four hundred images of the sea, based on his memories of voyages up and down the East Coast. Blue Sail Fleet Returns does not show an actual location, but rather a combination of real and imaginary elements. He created a fantasy world with purple water, orange trees, and birds as large as a house, and may have included himself as one of the tiny fishermen on the pier. The sea represented freedom to Cunningham, and one of his dreams was to own a houseboat so he could live permanently on the water ("Earl Cunningham's American Eden," Gary Schwan, The Palm Beach Post, 1994, Chuck and Jan Rosenak research material, 1990-1999, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution).

Works by this artist (50 items)

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Jack Beal, Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in America, The 18th Century: Settlement (U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC), ca. 1975, brush and ink and ink wash on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1977.47.160
Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in…
Artist
Dateca. 1975
brush and ink and ink wash on paper
Not on view
Jack Beal, Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in America, The 19th Century: Industry (U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC), ca. 1975, conte crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1977.47.168
Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in…
Artist
Dateca. 1975
conte crayon on paper
Not on view
Jack Beal, Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in America, The 20th Century: Technology (U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC), brush and ink, ink wash, and conte crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1977.47.149
Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in…
Artist
brush and ink, ink wash, and conte crayon on paper
Not on view
Jack Beal, The History of Labor in America, The 19th Century: Industry (mural study, U. S. Department of Labor), 1975, pastel and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1977.47.38
The History of Labor in America, The 19th Century: Industry…
Artist
Date1975
pastel and pencil on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Philip Guston, Head of a Woman, 1931, pen and ink, conte crayon, and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Director's Discretionary Fund, 1987.2
Head of a Woman
Artist
Date1931
pen and ink, conte crayon, and pencil on paper
Not on view
Gabriel Kohn, Studies for Sculpture, 1964, conte crayon, pen and ink, ink wash, pencil and paperboard on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Virginia Zabriskie, 1985.80
Studies for Sculpture
Artist
Date1964
conte crayon, pen and ink, ink wash, pencil and paperboard on paperboard
Not on view
Jack Beal, Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in America, The 20th Century: Technology (U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC), ca. 1975, brush and ink and conte crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1977.47.154
Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in…
Artist
Dateca. 1975
brush and ink and conte crayon on paper
Not on view
Jack Beal, Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in America, The 18th Century: Settlement (U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC), ca. 1975, brush and ink, ink wash, and conte crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1977.47.163
Preliminary sketch for mural The History of Labor in…
Artist
Dateca. 1975
brush and ink, ink wash, and conte crayon on paper
Not on view