Skip to Main Content
  Navigation Menu
      Admission is always free

          Open today:10:00  to 5:00
          Directions
           Play Artle
        Visit
      Visit
          
            Getting Here
          
            Accessibility
          
            Tours, Guides & Maps
          
            Food & Drink
          
            Gallery Shops
          
            Visitor Policies
  
  Collection
      Collection
          
            Highlights
          
            Search the Collection
          
            Artists Search
          
            Acquisition Highlights
          
            Stories
          
            Games
  
  Exhibitions
      Exhibitions
          
            Current
          
            Special Installations
          
            Upcoming
          
            On Tour
          
            Past
  
  Calendar
      Calendar
          
            Films
          
            Performances
          
            Talks
          
            Guided Tours
          
            After Hours
          
            Fun for Kids
          
            Festivals
          
            Workshops
  
  Learn
      Learn
          
            Teachers
          
            Families
          
            Teens
          
            Adults
          
            Learning Resources
          
            Music Programs
          
            Film Programs
  
  Conservation
      Conservation
          
            Projects
          
            Publications
          
            Resources
  
  Research
      Research
          
            The Center
          
            Publications
          
            Make an Appointment
          
            Archives
          
            Library
          
            NGA Online Editions
  
  Support
      Support
          
            Donate Now
          
            National Membership
          
            Circle Membership
          
            Leadership Groups
          
            Planned Giving
          
            Major Giving
          
            Gifts of Art
  
  Shop
      Shop
          
            Books
          
            Jewelry
          
            Apparel & Accessories
          
            Kids
          
            NGA Custom Prints
  
  Play Artle
            Previous Menu
              


  Search
  Hide Menu
  
  Home>Plan Your Visit>Tours, Guides, and Maps>Self-Guided Tours>Audio Stop 208
      

      
      Search Audio Stop 208 Select LanguageEnglishChineseKoreanSpanishJapanese
 Your browser does not support this audio player. play pause skip backward 15 seconds skip forward 30 seconds
 We look onto the side of a rowboat crowded with nine men trying to save a pale, nude young man who flails in the water in front of us as a shark approaches, mouth agape, from our right in this horizontal painting. In the water, the man floats with his chest facing the sky, his right arm overhead and the other stretched out by his side. Extending to our left, his left leg is bent and the right leg is straight, disappearing below the knee. His long blond hair swirls in the water and he arches his back, his wide-open eyes looking toward the shark behind him. To our right, the shark rolls up out of the water with its gaping jaws showing rows of pointed teeth. In the boat, eight of the men have light or tanned complexions, and one man has dark brown skin. The man with brown skin stands at the back center of the boat, and he holds one end of a rope, which falls across the boat and around the upper arm of the man in the water. Another man stands at the stern of the boat, to our right, poised with a long, hooked harpoon over the side of the boat, ready to strike the shark. His long dark hair blows back and he wears a navy-blue jacket with brass buttons, white breeches, blue stockings, and his shoes have silver buckles. Two other men wearing white shirts with blousy sleeves lean over the side of the boat, bracing each other as they reach toward the man in the water. An older, balding man holds the shirt and body of one of this pair and looks on, his mouth open. The other men hold long oars and look into the water with furrowed brows. The tip of a shark’s tail slices through the water to our right of the boat, near the right edge of the canvas. Along the horizon line, which comes three-quarters of the way up the composition, buildings and tall spires line the harbor. The masts of boats at port creates a row of crosses against the light blue sky. Steely gray clouds sweep across the upper left corner of the canvas and the sky lightens to pale, butter yellow at the horizon.
 John Singleton Copley *Watson and the Shark*, 1778 艺术家Yoan Capote和美国和英国绘画副策展人Charles Brock讨论Copley的戏剧性场景中反映的有关跨大西洋奴隶贸易的情感和历史。
 Read full audio transcript讲解员: 
英裔美籍画家约翰·辛格尔顿·科普利重新呈现了1749年在古巴哈瓦那发生的戏剧性场面:14岁的水手布鲁克·沃森在游泳时受到鲨鱼袭击。 
查尔斯·布罗克: 
画家选择趁着结局尚且未见分晓之时描绘出事件发生过程中的一刻,因而让这幅画如此扣人心弦。我觉得戏剧张力恰恰在于,科普利选择专注于生死悬于一线的那一刻。我叫查尔斯·布罗克,在美国国家美术馆的美国和英国绘画部担任副策展人。
尤安·卡波特:
我叫尤安·卡波特。我是一名古巴艺术家。随便找一个古巴人,他都会觉得把这幅场景描绘出来是一项非常艰巨的工作。沃森所经历的恐惧和痛苦促使我们关注到古巴海域里的数千移民,想到他们所经受的惊涛骇浪。 
看着这片海,我们会忍不住回忆起许许多多的故事:古巴的历史、外来移民、西班牙探险家,或者离开的人、海上的战争、死去的人。  
讲解员: 
科普利画中的许多张力与情感都是通过与沃森同船的其他水手脸上的表情体现出来。最引人注目的是画面上部的那名黑人青年。哈瓦那当时是跨大西洋奴隶贸易的主要港口之一,所以画中记录这一点很重要。
查尔斯·布罗克: 
科普利渴望记录历史中更大的趋势和故事,其一就是他在作画之时正在发生的历史,也就是美国独立战争。这场战争所涉及的重要议题之一就是奴隶制,这项议题与美国人对自由的渴望并驾齐驱。当时的人们还在围绕废除奴隶贸易一事持续展开公共讨论。 博物馆西馆藏品精选
 Enter stop number 
 Stop not found. Please try a different number.








Stay connected Learn more about our exhibitions, news, programs, and special offers.
 Email Address for National Gallery newsletter subscription


About About the National Gallery
    
        Stories
    
        Press
    
        FAQs
    
        Contact Us
 Plan a Visit Getting Here
    
        Accessibility
    
        Today's Tours
    
        Food & Drink
    
        Calendar
    
        Downloadable Map
 Get Involved Donate
    
        Membership
    
        Volunteer
    
        Opportunities
    
        Shop Online
 Resources Search the Collection
    
        Conservation
    
        Library
    
        Archives
    
        The Center
    
        Film Programs
    
        Music Programs
    
        Audio/Video
    
        Open Access Images


Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily West Building6th St and Constitution Ave NWEnter or exit from Constitution Avenue, 4th Street, or 7th Street. The Madison Drive entrance is currently closed. East Building4th St and Constitution Ave NWEnter and exit from 4th Street. Sculpture Garden7th St and Constitution Ave NWEnter and exit from 7th Street, Constitution Avenue, or Madison Drive. We are closed on December 25 and January 1.
 The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.


Twitter
          Facebook
          Instagram
		      Pinterest
          YouTube
 © 2024 National Gallery of Art   Notices   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy