Whales: An Artistic Perspective

We all know that whales are magnificent creatures. The way they blend in with the water, yet stand out in their mass and beauty is a marvel to us all. The magnificence of the whale can never be fully recorded, but I set out on a whale artistic odyssey through the world wide web to see if any artist took up the challenge. A whale on paper or sculpted in metal can never compare to the living, breathing, blowhole water-shooting creatures we've all come to know and love. However, it is wonderful to see that people have translated their love of whales into tangible pieces of artwork.

The first piece we're going to look at is titled, "Lunar Celebration." The piece is courtesy of Wyland Galleries, who not only post awesome whale art online but also help in ocean conservation efforts. Anyway, it is clear to see what makes this lunar scene a celebration. The artist, Wyland, depicts a whale jumping out of the water with the clarity of a photograph. This photo-realistic whale contrasts with the stylistic approach to the night sky. In short, the moon isn't that big from Earth. Observe how the moon is strategically placed behind the whale- the moon and whale's sharp contrast make it clear what the focal point of this piece is: the beautiful whale. When asked about his inspiration, Wyland says, "We were amazed when a forty-ton humpback whale suddenly hefted its entire body towards the heavens... It seemed to hang there frozen in time. I wanted to hold that moment forever. Lunar Celebration is my way of capturing the incredible power and grace of these acrobatic leviathans." And so Wyland translated the "grace: and "power" he saw in the whale into a lithograph- and an amazing one at that.

The next piece we will observe is by the Vermont native and whale aficionado Wick Ahrens. His entire artistic career has been dedicated to the sculpting of life-like whale sculptures. It has been said that "If his whales weren't wood, then they would breathe."

His life is clearly whale-tastic.

I've actually decided that we're going to look at two of his pieces because I simply cannot decide. It is really like choosing between actual types of whales, which we all know is absolutely impossible. The first is titled "Ode to Orcinius Orca" (by the way, not even Dictionary.com knows what "orcinius" means...) This piece is simply beautiful- it stood out to me immediately. The way the whales are layered (for lack of a better word) and close together gives the viewer a warm, fuzzy feeling- which put into dialogue is basically "awwwww a whale family!" But in all seriousness, the whales are perfectly scaled and their surfaces are as smooth as the blubber on an actual whale. They seem to float in air; the sculpture's supports are invisible. Finally, the viewer is happily surprised when they notice the tiniest whale to the bottom left.

For scale, it's 7 x 7 x 11"

If you've ever wondered where the whale sculptures in museums come from (for example in the Nantucket Whaling Museum) your wonders have ended. Ahrens does full museum installations, like these whales, which includes the largest wood whale ever made. This piece, titled "Grey Whale and Calf" is 18ft x 5 ft x 3.5 and 1000 pounds. The most amazing part though is that this piece was entirely painted in acrylics, the simplest of all paint types (besides watercolor of course!)

The whales have the life-like quality Ahrens is known for, down to the barnicles. Look how the tail of each whale is curved like they are gliding through water. Achieving the illusion of emersion in water is one of the hardest elements in art, yet it is necessary when creating a swimming whale.

I hope you enjoyed this whale-tastic artistic odyssey. If you would like to investigate more, here are some links to get you started:
http://www.wickahrens.com/
http://www.wildlifewonders.com/whalestatue.html
http://www.wylandgalleries.com/


-Katie