The Icebergs, Fredrick Edwin Church. Essay Example

Dallas Museum of Art offers a broad spectrum of art for people to view. The museum is funded by well-wishers and donations. Among the artists whose works are found at the museum is Fredrick Church. The art that I chose to examine at the museum is The Icebergs because of its extensive details about the early exploration of the North. The exploration of the North is all that many Europeans wanted and many explorers set out on voyages to the North to search for passages. Many of those who traveled to the North for adventure, including John Franklin's cohort never made it back due to extreme weather conditions (DMA, 2020). Artists and writers decided to express how the Northern part looked like through fiction. Fredrick Church's artwork The Icebergs shows a change of perception. I encountered this painting during a virtual tour of the Dallas Museum of Art. Different people had diverse perceptions of the North. It was during the search for Franklin's cohort that the Northwest pathway was identified. Franklin's ship was found trapped in icebergs (DMA, 2020). Dallas Museum of Art offers a multicultural collection of artworks with my favorite being The Icebergs by Fredrick Church which reminds us of the historical exploration to the North.

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The foreground appears wet and shiny since it rises from below the water. The altering echelon of the sea leaves behind horizontal strains on the major iceberg. The water that has frozen in the cracks of ice causes the glittering blue veins on the icebergs (Spielgelman, 2012). The part of the iceberg left of the artwork seems like a Chinese scholar's stone, which is a rocklike portion of ice striped by a blue hue. The green radiance on the right implies the exquisite depth and lethal cold of waters in the North Atlantic. The visual leitmotif of the painting is white, however, other hues are in use particularly when a person moves for closer observation of the brush strokes and elegance in the composition of the painting (Spielgelman, 2012). Orange and brown tints appear on the left, grasped in the atmosphere and far off sunset, as well as by the tiny, pink iceberg behind, the sole object that is not linked to the chief mass. Middle distance to the left, the water appears ochre, turning lighter as it approaches the green grotto. The rough mass appears in the middle.

During consideration of Fredrick's work, a person should remember the ineffable journey that he took in search of inspiration within the earth. Fredrick Church would not have been able to make his painting in the open field given the extreme weather conditions that would have frozen his work before reaching the canvas (Spielgelman, 2012). Church's work is a result of compound sketches and studies created in the field and definitions as well as diagrams offered by his associates like Isaac Hayes, who was his student, and Legrand Noble who escorted him during his 1859 journey to observe the Arctic Circle. Particularly, they were going to see the Cape Race as well as the Avalon Peninsula, finally using a rowing boat to circumspectly examine the icebergs and the formation of rocks. When Church got back to the New York studio, he began making the artwork using oil. He completed the artwork in 1861, and it was exhibited in New York, followed by London (DMA, 2020). The painting surprised the observers who had to part with 25 cents to see it by three things. First, the viewers were astonished by its diaphanous size as it had a breadth of three meters. Secondly, the viewers loved the exceptional technique that the Church had put to use. Lastly, the artist's choice of environment, managing each detail of the show, ranging from beautification to the technological aspect employed in the lighting of the painting amazed viewers. The painting had initially been sold to a British inhabit before being donated to the Dallas Museum of Art.

The broken ship mast found in the foreground of the painting expresses the impotence of human, particularly John Franklin's cohort, in the extreme weather conditions in the North. It shows that man has no power when it comes to nature, and therefore, can seldom survive in adverse weather conditions. The broken mast is a reminder of the somber history of the disappearance of the initial explorers to the North. The green grotto towards the right implies the exact depth and thrilling cold of waters in the Atlantic, which has the potential of freezing an object. The danger of freezing frightens the explorers and reduces their morale moving forward. The rocky terrain in the center of the painting suggests that ship cannot transverse through the waters, and therefore, provokes depression and disappointment to explorers who would wish to travel to the North.

The Dallas Museum of Art has a positive contribution to the surrounding community. The museum is committed to engaging the public, innovation, and research. The museum embraces multiculturalism as it shelters international collections that represent a wide range of global cultures. The museum is situated in the country's biggest art district, and thus incites societal creativity. The museum does not discriminate against people based on either age or background but engages everybody in activities like exhibitions, lectures, and dance and drama presentations. The museum has an extensive collection of artworks. The Dallas Museum of art houses above 24,000 artworks that represent a span of more than 5,000 years (DMA, 2020). The collection ranges from paintings to drawings that are a representation of different religions and cultures. Several exhibitions intend to educate the public among them being Flores Mexicans: Women in Modern Mexican Art. The exhibition teaches the public about gender issues, politics, and the mandate of modern Mexican females. The other exhibition that I found educative is the Mylgration that establishes the relationship between art, culture, and migration. The exhibition examines how migration influences art, and how cross-cultural relationships inform art production (DMA, 2020). The navigation on the Dallas Museum of Art website was quite simple. Links have been provided which direct the navigator to the desired informational page. The website is user-friendly, and even a person who is not much familiar with it can operate it. I did not encounter limitations to the virtual tour. The website is well organized with no or less use of cookies. If I had to visit the Dallas Museum in person, my must-see would include Isadora Duncan immortalized, Kusama's mirror room, and the gates of hell. These works of art would quench my thirst for the diverse artistry works in the museum.

Dallas Museum of art encompasses a broad range of works of art that are multicultural, among them being The Icebergs that capture the details about the history of exploration of the North. The damaged ship mast in the foreground of the painting reminds people of the mysterious disappearance of the first explorers to the North including John Franklin and his colleagues. The museum caters for all people without discriminating because of age and country of origin. Several exhibitions in the museum are meant to educate the public about women's place in the society, politics, gender, and effects of migration to art and different cultures. Navigating through the Dallas museum is quite easy since the website is well organized.

Works Cited

Dallas Museum of Art. (2020). Dallas Museum of Art. https://dma.org/visitSpielgelman, W. (2012, May 11). Frozen Sublimity, Louring Sky. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303404704577305800463001274