Stephen Card: SS United States (2026)Stephen Card, the undisputed master of maritime ship portraits, has recently completed a new portrait of the SS United States. This oil painting shows the flagship of the American merchant navy entering New York harbor, passing the Statue of Liberty.
The SS United States was the fastest ocean liner ever built. She was in service between 1952 and 1969 and was capable of doing an Atlantic crossing in just four days and change - a feat no modern cruise ship can duplicate. A technological marvel, the ship is slated to be sunk as a reef rather than be preserved as a national historic site. Ironically, this is scheduled to happen while tha nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of the country that this ship represented. The painting is not a copy of a photograph of the SS United States. While Card consults photographs, the images he creates are unique. At the same time, he is very concerned about historical accuracy. Not only are his pictures accurate as to the subject ship but his pictures depict places where that ship actually sailed. Similarly, the other ships in the picture (such as the antique version of the Staten Island ferry in this picture) are vessels that may have encountered the ship that is the subject of the painting. In this painting, there are more visible brush strokes and more use of impasto than one usually sees in a Card ship portrait. Does this mark an evolution in Card’s style? Perhaps this is a more emotional portrayal, reflecting a reaction to the shameful fate that is in store for this historic ship. The painting is oils on a wood panel. It is now in the collection of David Hume. |
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Art review - Stephen Card - SS United States (2026)
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