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Ships and whimsies-in-bottles, the skillful and fanciful
representations of untrained sailor craftsmen, many of whom sailed
from our New England shores, have been growing in popularity among
folk art collectors and maritime museum attendees. The recognition
of the works of marine folk artists has sprung from an appreciation
for individualism and the artistic depiction of basic idealism. The
common lack of technical mastery found compensation in freedom of
expression, simplicity, honesty and inventiveness. The sailor artisan
used the technical skills needed to perform or survive at sea into
works of beauty within a naïve design. This has been preserved
as finely crafted folk art, and in some ways a form of industrial
art. This form of sailors’ folk art is a collection of extraordinary
pieces, which often leave the viewer with the vexing question, "How
did they do such work, many times under the grueling conditions of
a voyage at sea?" It is the intent of the author to acquaint
the reader with the beauty and breadth of these works, as well as
to their history and references in literature. |