Ships in a Gale

Willem van de Velde the Younger first gained his vast knowledge of the sea and sailing ships by studying under his father, the celebrated marine painter Willem van de Velde the Elder (1611–1693). The junior Van de Velde became skilled at depicting the flow of tides, the rippling of waters against a sandy shore, and raging storms that buffeted huge seafaring vessels and threatened to destroy them. The son’s work also shows a sensitivity to the effects of light and atmosphere, which he learned from his years in the studio of Simon de Vlieger (1600/1601–1653).

Ships in a Gale is one of Van de Velde's early masterpieces. It is filled with the drama of a churning sea on which two storm-tossed ships struggle to avoid jagged rocks that have already claimed a third vessel. The painting is not only compositionally dramatic but also endlessly engaging in its details: figures scramble up masts, haul in the sails, and hang from lines attached to the bowsprit. As birds swoop over the foaming breakers, sailors fight the waves in their desperate attempt to reach the relative safety of the rocks before drowning. The painting is in extraordinary condition and has retained every element of its original character, particularly in the physicality of the ships, figures, and rocks and the translucency of clouds, sky, and water.