Sara Shelton
Introduction to the History of Art II
Professors Kenseth and Horenstein
9 March 2023
Over the course of history, artists have depicted everything there is to think of, from everyday scenes to undefinable concepts to mythological figures. In the 1500s, history paintings of allegories or biblical figures were held in the highest regard, and within the artwork hierarchy, landscapes were seen as less imaginative, because they are something a viewer can already see and perceive. Landscape and seascape scenes –still seen as humble– have been produced and depicted in numerous ways since the dawn of painting. Johannes van den Avelle, born in 1650, and Victor Ekpuk, born in 1964, though more than 300 years apart in birth, both depict seascapes in their work. Avelle engraved scenes of 17th century Dutch life and Ekpuk currently creates contemporary illustrations with Nigerian roots, and despite their differences, both artists meditate on power dynamics through oceanic images. Aveele and Ekpuk depict the sea in contrasting styles, but while both discuss political power, Ekpuk draws ocean voyages to highlight horror and death, while Aveele engraves the monarchical conquering of the sea. Ultimately, the two works dialogue across centuries to produce a narrative of colonialism and human existence.
In 1689, the dutchman Johannes van den Aveele produced an engraving named Departure of her R.H. My Lady Princess of Orange for to go in England. The engraving depicts a sea landscape as Mary II (Princess of Orange) departs from Briel to England, where she would co-reign with her husband William III. The departure is displayed as a broadsheet –a serious newspaper printed on large sheets of paper– and acts as a commemorative image of a royal expedition. In the seventeenth century, printmaking allowed artists like Aveele to meticulously document the natural world and, subsequently, to communicate contemporary events to different audiences, as shown by the various languages at the bottom of the print (Dutch, French, and English). Etching allowed for quick recording and dissemination of events as they happened. Aveele utilizes the engraving to his advantage here; painstaking detail and contrast, with the addition of letters to help the audience follow the events taking place, make this a reportage print, as a viewer can even see faces of the smallest figures. However, the sea isn’t always depicted with such naturalistic tendencies. In his 2007 Graphite and Pastel work Slave Narrative 2, Nigerian-born artist Victor Ekpuk creates a flat, contemporary seascape; a red ship looms over a black body of water full of brown figures and gray designs. Ekpuk utilizes simplistic drawing in Slave Narrative 2 through traditional Nigerian Nsibidi and Uli technique, with geometric forms and linear elements. Within this work, Ekpuk illustrates the horrors of the slave trade, notedly through the middle passage of the Atlantic trade, which resulted in the death of one to two million slaves. Ekpuk does not report on current events as Aveele does in his engraving but rather communicates horrors of the past to condemn the trade’s orchestrators and recognize loss.
In contrast to Ekpuk’s melancholic subject, Aveele in Departure of her R.H. My Lady Princess of Orange encompasses the growing power of monarchy in 17th century Europe. The Princess’s departure from Briel is a ritualized form of expressive power and status; audiences attended arrivals and departures as though they were ceremonies and watched with great interest. Aveele prints the departure so that people who could not be in attendance felt as though they witnessed the event. Departure of her R.H. My Lady Princess of Orange is intrinsically a political work of art, which can be seen through the abundance of ships, billowing smoke, and cannons on the ships. Aveele illustrates the power and size of the Dutch Navy, and through this, the wealth of the Dutch republic. Comparably, Ekpuk’s Slave Narrative 2 is a political artwork of power in an antithetical way. Ekpuk depicts the slave trade, which was controlled by European political powers, but rather than displaying the monarchy in a ceremonial fashion, the disastrous effects of force are shown. Instead of a massive convoy, Ekpuk draws one red ship above the sea, floating as though it is a threat looming about the slaves drowning in the water. It only takes one ship to amount to death within the slave trade.
However, while both works illustrate power, the two images convey entirely different tones. Ekpuk creates an atmosphere of helplessness and claustrophobia. The simplistic brown figures in the black ocean feel stagnant and float with limbs akimbo, surrounded by illustrations of torture. In traditional Uli designs (drawn by Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria), Ekpuk draws hangings by noose, bound feet, and a face with an X in the center. Even in death, the slaves cannot escape the atrocities committed. One figure is surrounded, not by drawings, but rather a black circle, reminiscent of loneliness and isolation of slavery. Furthermore, by using pastels for the illustrations, Ekpuk offers a hand-drawn appearance, making the work more intimate and vulnerable. The sea’s black color contributes greatly to the solemn mood. Rather than a bright blue, black symbolizes death. Conversely, Aveele’s engraving adopts a mood of jubilation. The work is optimistic, and has an overarching imperial quality about it, with English flags and the Scottish crest on top of ships. In the foreground, people aboard the Princess’s ships throw their hats in the air and the large convoy of ships supports the experience of celebration.
The emotion of triumph was common in the Dutch republic in the 17th century, during the age of resurgent nationalism and monarchical pride. Aveele’s engraving emerged at the tail end of the Dutch Baroque period and is a notable example of the norms within the period. Foremost, the image captures a moment in time, and the collapsing waves, flapping flags, and active figures contribute to the momentary quality. Similarly, the aspects of movement coupled with the one-point perspective add a dynamic aspect to the work. The Dutch often depicted sea scenes to convey their victory over the sea, after projects to reclaim land via dikes and other means, and Aveele’s engraving shows the power the Dutch have over the sea through the sheer size of their navy. Ekpuk’s contemporary work lacks the dynamism and movement of Aveele’s 17th century engraving. Notedly, there are no waves, as though all may seem well on the surface, but below lies cruelties and death. The 2007 image feels stagnant, as though there is no beginning or end to the scene, because Ekpuk is not capturing a moment in time, but rather the essence of a prolonged experience: the slave trade. Rather than displaying the power people –more specifically monarchies– have over the sea, Ekpuk depicts the sea as something to be feared; a house of death and destruction.
The message of each work is further conveyed through composition and perspective. The Aveele places the viewer outside of the event. The viewer is possibly on another ship or someone on the shore, watching as an outsider. The perspective makes it seem as though the viewer could have been there witnessing the departure, but still maintains a hierarchy because the audience cannot be on the same level as the princess. Rather than depicting the departure close to the ship with the Princess of Orange, the viewer must watch from afar, further intensifying the power of the monarchs. Conversely, Ekpuk’s large and expansive image puts us on the same level as the slaves depicted. The viewer is level with the figures in the water, as though we are also underwater. The red boat looms above the viewer in an ominous position, representing the trader’s power. Hierarchy is lessened in Slave Narrative 2, and the viewer is placed in the same haunting, precarious position as the drowning male and female slaves. The lack of land in the composition along with the size of the sea compared to the sky makes the space feel restrictive and oppressive, illustrating the feeling of slavery on the victims in the water.
In the mid 17th century, there was an explosion in the slave trade, and the Dutch became the leading slave traders of the era. The Dutch established one of the most powerful navies of the century, had a booming commercial merchant class, and established the joint-stock West India Company, which played a significant role in the Dutch slave trade, having a monopoly until the 1730s. In a historical context Ekpuk’s Slave Narrative 2 and Aveele’s Departure of her R.H. My Lady Princess of Orange for to go in England, are intrinsically connected. Ekpuk illustrates the horrors, death, and loneliness that permeated the slave trade, a commercial business that the Dutch monarchy –which Aveele depicts– upheld and financially supported. In Aveele’s engraving, voyages on the sea are optimistic and a cause for celebration. Large convoys meant royal visitors or grand departures, which worked as a showcase for political power. Ekpuk displays the disastrous effects of such voyages. While Aveele does not depict the slave trade directly, the exitance reportage engravings of royal travel instead of images of the Atlantic slave trade shows the lack of coverage and humanity shown towards such atrocities. The colonist powers of Europe from the 15th to 18th centuries benefitted from violent slavery practices, and Ekpuk uncovers their crimes in his work, while Aveele illustrates the naval and monarchical structures that were the backbone of the Dutch slave trade. Voyages at sea are numerous and diverse, but by connecting across centuries, Ekpuk and Aveele can be tied together to create a narrative that uncovers the depth and variety of human experience.