The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-06-01
A SEA PICTURE CRITIC
He Knew All About Ships and the
Wild Ocean.
ART COMMENTS OF A SAILOR
The Death of Nelson" Reminded Him
of How 'ArSness Come OF the Main
Tard-The Blood Red Sky Without .
Cloud That ForeteIls a Storm.

of How 'Arkness Come OF the Main
Yard-The Blood Red Sky Without .
Cloud That ForeteIls a Storm.
Crude perhaps and curious. the out
come of life apart, sailormen have
yet an appreciation OF the arts. writes
David w. Bone in the Manchester
Guardian.
Once in the Walter gallery l was
looking at The Death OF Nelson"
There was a man with the look OF Il
seaman standing near He had a slight
smell Of drink and was chewing tobac-
CO. He. too, was interested in the pie
ture, and. recognizing me as seaman
like, he said something. and We got TO
talking about Nelson and his times.
about ships and pictures. "B'gad.
mate, them fellers'' 0he painters he
meant "knowed what they was
a-doin'. Look at that ere glim" DAN
term. Looks as its trimmin' was for
got Wen they brought tn admiral
down. An them eyes" point
ing TO a wounded seaman in the near
foreground. "them's tn eyes O. poor
'Arkness wot come of tn main yard
las voyage an struck tn fife rail full
on"
He told me OF the accident. how II
happened. and by his eyes and rude.
simple speech l saw 1t all. As plain be-
fore me as the figure of the stricken
seaman l saw 'Arkness come OF the
main yard. clutching wildly at the
sheets and lifts as he fell. l heard him
strike the rail with a sickening thud
and lie stretched l saw the running
figures on the deck, and-"'e never
larsted tn night. We buried i'm out
there. Taltal II was" said my speaker.
Involuntary twisting a shoulder to an
imaginary southwest.
There was sea picture. a ship CON-
ing up to the Isle Of wight-clean
curving sails, a good sense OF move
ment and a fine, breezy atmosphere.
"Jest wot II Is" said my friend,
'omeward bound. Let 'er go. boys"
burst OF enthusiasm that made some
visitor glance around. alarmed. "'Ome-
ward bound II ISL There were other
fine pictures. but we did not feel that
we had n right to do more than look at
them and admire. With sea pictures il
was different. They were our world,
and who had the right TO criticise the
way a sea was moving off the sky IL
we had not? Too often had we watch
ed. anxious eyed. for a break In the
clouds not to know the way of wind
on the water, the scud of cloud
breaking free in a welcome shift. Well
we knew the curve of standing sail
and the relation ii bore to the sense of
movement
For city of the sea Liverpool has
no great representation of her fore
most industry on her chamber walls.
Sea pictures have apparently no at
traction for her chiefest citizens. There
was little call for sea critics down
stairs. so we went to an exhibition of
modern art in the upper galleries
Here we found ourselves properly con-
fronted. Setting Sail After a Blow" Ii
was. large canvas, a ship pitching
heavily in the swell of a recent gale
and the crew putting the canvas on
her. 1t held a great message for my
mate (black smoke and an ever throb-
hing screw had not yet dulled his sea
fancy. He was highly pleased. Them
seas wot We gets off tn Platter He
wanted TO show some word Of cheer. to
swing his right hand to the left Shout
der in seamanlike admiration, but the
cold gray eye of a tall hated official
was upon us-"Huh. sailors"'-and
there was a group of young ladies
near by worshiping at the shrine of
corporation purchase. so he contented
himself by nudging me furously.
That's wot / calls picture" he said.
sunset over water claimed our at
tention. A blood red sky with no
clouds, only a slight density near the
horizon. ! said it was remarkable,
perhaps unreal. That's where ye
amt in it, mister, Look a. here! IL
We wos t take all tn colors in tn lock-
er SOS We 'ad lots o. red an yeller in,
ye'd find a sky t match it. Amt ye
never card o. what them dagos calls
blood O. Chris'-them dagos wot loads
we ballest in tn Platter l had not
heard. We'll, it's a sky like that an
1t comes afore one of them 'pamperos
Min / wos lynn in Monte Video
oncet, an we 'ad a sky all blood red
an never a cloud. an tn fishin' boats
wos all comm in; not rowin' shipshape.
same 5 me an you 'ud do: them
shown tn oars S If they wos pushin'
"a barrier" He spat into a dark corner
and said som ething more about dagos,
then continued: Mex day we 'ad a
gale 'Owlin', 1t was, an her drivin'
into IT same 5 we wos of tn Horn.
an big German bark driv' down or
us an took tn fore to'garn'mast out o
'er an tn boom an started all tn
'eadgear. Two ships wos driv' ashore.
an that's wot comes out o them skies
wot they calls tn blood o Chris"
1t was an impressionist picture that
annoyed my mate-an impression III
scene in dock, with masts and tunnels
and bulls all mixed up. The coloring
was good. but the ships might haN
been ninepius or egg boxes or any
thing At first he was perplexed. then
amused then Indignant "Oh. -" be
said. "What's this? Ships b'gad. or
I'm Iutchmau"' He burst into a fl
Of rude laughter. ships it is. mister
an looh at them tawpsT yards. Ships
wi tawps'l yards below the main, an
n hangman's gibbet fer tn mizzen gaf
Than rnIie-S q got some check mate