MAARTEN PLATJE: NAUTICAL HISTORY By Rochelle Belsito
MAARTEN PLATJE PRESENTS PAINTINGS ILLUMINATING THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE U.S. NAVY IN A NEW TRAVELING EXHIBITION.
On nearly any given day in Boston, visitors can head down the Freedom Trail to Pier 1 of the former Charleston Navy Yard and behold the glory of the USS Constitution. Named by President George Washington after the United States Constitution, the vessel was one of six frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794 and designed by Joshua Humphreys. It launched in 1797 and is most recognized for its role during the War of 1812 where it defeated five British warships, helping to bring the country recognition as one of the world’s naval powers.
Dutch artist Maarten Platje, who studied at the Arts Aemula Naturae Art Academy in Leiden, Netherlands, has had a long fascination with ships, having them appear in his first landscape drawings and paintings of his homeland. After his studies, he spent
time as a sailor where his firsthand experiences only furthered his interest in painting the life at sea. In 1996, he was invited by the Royal Dutch Navy to embark on a frigate that traveled the Mediterranean waters during NATO operations, resulting in a series of paintings.
“Behind the easel in the studio, in my humble opinion, it is nearly impossible to realistically depict the movement of the waves, the natural way of a ship’s reaction to wind and water, and the spectacular colorful interaction between sunlight, clouds and the surface of the sea without actually having experienced them in real life. One of the challenges in maritime art is to try to come as close as possible to displaying the abovementioned elements in a realistic manner,” says Platje.
“Being on a ship, in harsh weather, on the North Atlantic, also gives you a completely different perspective on things. I’m grateful to have had the chance to experience in person the beauty, the huge forces and cruelty of the sea by exposing myself to these elements for a considerable period of time. If you then bear in mind the difference in comfort and safety between the nowadays sailors and their predecessors it almost becomes a mystical topic that can only trigger my fascination.”
A couple of years ago Platje began preparations for a new painting about the USS Constitution. During his research he was captivated by the way Humphreys designed and built the frigate, prompting him to delve further into the naval achievements of the warship nicknamed “Old Ironsides.” This led him on a journey through the various eras of the U.S. Navy and resulted in inspiration for subsequent paintings. Together, 15 depictions of historic high-seas battles make up his newest touring exhibition presented by Cavalier Galleries, The Early History of the US Navy. The show opened at Channel Islands Maritime Museum in Oxnard, California, January 9 through March 25, and traveled to the gallery’s Greenwich, Connecticut, location on April 7 where it will hang through April 22.
“Generally speaking, I’m always driven by my own curiosity, researching historical events and looking for ‘new’ historical events to reconstruct on canvas. I want to determine how the epic events of the past actually took place. What was it like on board? The closest thing for me to experience what the brave men on board these ships went through is by re-creating the past on canvas,” Platje says. “The struggle for independence of the United States and the sometimes dramatic course and outcome of the battles in the stirring times of the early 19th century is well documented and has inspired many writers, painters and other artists. This fascination still exists clearly in modern times. Working on a series of canvases like this gives me the opportunity to really focus on the historical context, which roughly covers the early years of American naval power.”
Platje’s paintings depict different battles at sea, with several involving the USS Constitution as well as other important ships. In Opening Shots, USS Constitution vs
HMS Guerriere, August 19, 1812, he portrays the first significant American victory of the War of 1812. On that fateful day in August, the British frigate opened fire on the American ship but without success. An hour later, a battle of broadsides ensued and while the British maintained a higher rate of fire, the American shots were more accurate and more damaging. In another of his pieces, The Last Salute to Malta, March 2, 1805, Platje shows the USS Constitution on the shores of Malta where it had been for repairs and resupply.
When preparing for each new painting, Platje meticulously researches prior to even putting brush to canvas so he has a clear idea of what he is going to paint. He first asks himself about the story he wants to tell and then builds specifics from there. He collects documents such as old charts, journals, drawings and ship models to answer the who, what and where questions. Platje aims to capture the scene as historically accurate as possible, but sometimes he fills in blanks based on his personal insights on what he was able to discover about each battle.
“For me, the attractive element on this series of paintings is the diversity of the work. I focused on the important historical events that actually took place, and this brought me from the gray, cold waters of the Atlantic to the colorful and warm atmosphere of the Mediterranean,” the artist explains. “As mentioned before, I was triggered by the smart design of the USS Constitution. The frigate was larger, more heavily armed and built than the European frigates of its period. She was designed to be able to overpower other frigates, but with the speed to escape from a ship of the line (a type of naval warship to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle). So I think it’s fair to say that the paintings portraying the USS Constitution define an important part of the exhibition. However, we would do historical injustice to the other vessels and their crews to leave them out of the story.”
Following the exhibition at Cavalier Galleries, the show travels to Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, Minnesota, May 30 to August 19; Navesink Twin Lights Museum in Highlands, New Jersey, from August 30 to November 22; and concludes at Tahoe Maritime Museum in California, December 1 through May 31, 2020.