The Spouting Whale

William Morris Hunt, The Spouting Whale, ca. 1870, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1911.8.2
William Morris Hunt, The Spouting Whale, ca. 1870, oil on canvas, 2016 18 in. (50.940.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1911.8.2
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Spouting Whale
Date
ca. 1870
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2016 18 in. (50.940.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of William T. Evans
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Waterscape — boat
  • Waterscape — sea
  • Animal — whale
Object Number
1911.8.2

Artwork Description

William Morris Hunt turned his attention to landscape painting during the 1870s, and he traveled as far south as Florida, as far west as Mexico, and north to 'Niagara Falls' in search of great views. Many of his canvases from this time, such as this image of The Spouting Whale, are painted loosely, with broad brushstrokes and indistinct forms. The cloudy sky dominates the image, in which we can just make out a geyser of water from a whale below the surface. Although we cannot see the great creature, Hunt conveyed the whale's power in the dark shadows of the choppy water and the vivid contrasts in the sky. The image evokes a sense of foreboding, as if the whale might surge out of the water at any moment. The Spouting Whale conveys the drama of the seas at a time when many American painters, such as Frederic Edwin Church and Martin Johnson Heade, embarked on voyages to new frontiers.

Works by this artist (5 items)

Stephen Parrish, On the Schroon--Drought, n.d., etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1972.117
On the Schroon – Drought
Daten.d.
etching
Not on view
Stephen Parrish, November, n.d., etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of American History, Division of Graphic Arts, Smithsonian Institution, 1971.244
November
Daten.d.
etching
Not on view
Stephen Parrish, Mills at Mispek, n.d., etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1969.20.18
Mills at Mispek
Daten.d.
etching on paper
Not on view
Stephen Parrish, Fishery on the Dee, n.d., etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1973.18.3
Fishery on the Dee
Daten.d.
etching
Not on view

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oil on tin
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Jacob Maentel, Portrait of Elizabeth Sweitzer Musser, ca. 1826, watercolor and pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.5
Portrait of Elizabeth Sweitzer Musser
Dateca. 1826
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Not on view
Jacob Maentel, Portrait of Adam Musser, ca. 1822, watercolor and pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.9
Portrait of Adam Musser
Dateca. 1822
watercolor and pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Ammi Phillips, Portrait of Helen (Lena) Ten Broeck, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.10
Portrait of Helen (Lena) Ten Broeck
Date1834
oil on canvas
On view