Ominousness
December 9th
How many shades of blue and white can you see above? The whole expanse of ocean and sky in this painting is made of countless hues of those two colors. There is a white boat as well with just a touch of red in a woman’s kerchief and oily bronze of men’s torsos and bamboo of the mast and railings. The vastness of sky and ocean is foreboding but also quite easy to accept — it is just there, and we are rather insignificant in comparison. We can enjoy it as those in the painting do, but only close to the safety of the shore and solid ground.
In addition to all that there is a bell buoy, askew on the groundswell wave. Three men and a woman in the boat hear this bell and all look at it. There is another wave coming after the first one, the weather seems fine but cirrus clouds tell of an upcoming storm. There is a barely registered by eyes of the viewer thin dark line on the horizon. Yes, the serious storm is coming and the summer boating idyll is over. The boaters know it and seem resigned to it. Pleasure is over, the warning bell had rung, waves are swelling with anger and destruction. There is no point in fighting the force of nature, those things that happen are beyond our control.
We should be wise to hear the warning sounds and adhere to safety from the storm — especially when our surroundings are still calm and idyllic.
