Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1908-04-23
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 Arkness Come of tho Main
Yard-The Blood Red Sky Without
Cloud That Foretelis Storm.

Cloud ! NAT = oreteilS 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 galIery / was
looking at The Death OF Nelson"
There was a man with the look of a
seaman standing near. He had a slight
smell of drink and was chewing tobac-
co. He, too, was interested in the pic
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 feIlers" (1he painters he
meant "knowed what they was
a-doin'. Look at that ere gllm" (lan-
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 w0t come off tn main yard
las voyage an struck tn fife rail full
ON
lie told me of the accident, how 1t
happened. and by his eyes and rude,
simple speech | saw Ii all AS plain be-
fore me as the figure Of the stricken
seaman ! saw 'Arkness come off the
main yard. clutching wildly at the
sheets and lifts as he fell heard him
strike the rail with q sickening thud
4 I INN
figures ON the deck, and" e never
larsted tn night We buried i'm ont
there. Taltal it was" said my speaker,
invountarily twisting a shoulder to an
imaginary southwest.
There was sea picture, q ship COM
ing up to the Isle of Wight-clean
curying sails, good sense Of move
ment and a fine, breezy atmosphere.
"Jest wot II is said my friend,
"omeward bound. Let 'cr GO boys"
burst of enthusiasm that made some
visitor glance around alarmed ''Ome-
ward bound it is" There were other
fine pictures. but we did not feel that
we had right to do more than look at
them and admire With sea pictures it
was different. They were our world.
and who had the right TO criticise the
way sea was moving off the sky il
we had not? Too often had we watch
cd, anxious eyed for n break in the
clouds not TO know the way of wind
on the water, the scud Of cloud
breaking free in welcome shift Well
we knew the curve of Il standing sail
and the relation it 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" it
was, large canvas, ship pitching
heavily in the swell OF q recent gale
and the crew putting the canvas on
her. 1t held great message for my
mate (black smoke and an ever throb-
bling 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 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 nudgng me furiously
That's wot | calls a 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 We
amt i'm II, mister, Look a herel II
We wos L take all tn colors in III lcgk-
er SOS We 'ad lots O rel an Weller in,
ye'd find sky { match II. Amt We
never card o what them dagos calls
blood o Chris'-them dagos wot loads
We ballest In tn PlateY" | had not
heard. well. its 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 4 cloud, an tn fshln boats
"os all comm in; not rowin' shipshape.
same s me an you 'lG do. Them
shown tn oars S If they wos pushin'
a barrer' Re spat into a dark corner
ana said something more about dagos.
then continued: "Nex day we 'ad a
gale 'Owlin'. 1t was, an her drlvln'
INTO it same + we wos of tn Horn.
am big German bark driv down on
rs an took tn fore togaln'mast out o.
or an tn boom an started all tn
'eadgear Two ships wos driv' ashore.
an that's wot comes out O them skies
Not they calls tn blood o. Chris"
II was an impressionst picture that
annoyed my mate-an impression of a
scene in dock, with masts and tunnels
ana hulls all mixed up The coloring
was good, Int the ships might have
been ninepins or egg boxes or any
thing. At first he was perplexed. then
amused, then Indignant ooh. -m he
sad What's this? Ships b'gad. or
N Dutchman" He burst into a dt
OF rude laughter ships it is, mister.
an look at them tawpsl yards! ships
HVr HFWu 81