BACKGROUND INFORMATION about...

My "Day of Discovery" Triptych Display was born as a result of the 500 Year Quincentenial Celebration ( in 1992) of the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. Although I am an artist, and not a historian, this subject has held my interest since my first introduction to American history in  grade school. Beginning in 1991, the subject of the discovery was in the limelight and many interesting and informative articles began to appear in various publications and the news media in general. I decided at that time to add my own 2 cents worth by researching deep into the subject and come up with a project of my own - after all, this kind of an anniversary won't happen again for another 500 years. The triptych was the end result. After five centuries, the subject continues to be one of the most written about, talked about, and controversial events in American History.

Historians and writers of the past and present have researched the life, voyages, and discoveries of Columbus with remarkable accuracy. Their findings have been passed on in a myriad of written and visual impressions that began to appear shortly after his first voyage in 1492 . My "Day of Discovery" triptych is only one more item added to that existing myriad of visual impressions. It does not attempt to prove nor disprove anything, nor settle any particular point of controversy. It's only aim is to highlight the day of discovery, and the achievement by Columbus in navigating the discovery fleet over an uncharted, Middle Ages ocean that posed the threat of sailing over the edge and into oblivion - if the mythological sea creatures didn't get them first.

During his four voyages to the new world, Columbus discovered, mapped,  and named practically every land mass in the Caribbean and the coast of Central America. He was determined to find a strait that would lead to Asia, and came very close - to a future strait - when he was at the Isthmus of Panama, which was only a few miles away from the Pacific Ocean. On his fourth and final voyage in 1502 he reached the threshold of South America where he had to turn back because of worm-riddled ships that were on the verge of sinking; this was as far south as he would ever go along the coast of South America. Eventually, his voyages of discovery opened the doors for Ferdinand Magellan who began the first expedition to circumnavigate the world in 1519. Christopher Columbus would never realize the magnitude of his achievements or it's influence on history; nor could he have imagined that his discoveries were at the doorstep of two giant continents. In his last days, he simply referred to it as "a new world". 

If I were to pick the single high-point  in the life of Columbus, I would pick the day of discovery on his first  voyage into the new world. It was without a doubt the happiest part of the voyage for Columbus and the ships crews. The outcome of the first voyage also made the calendar date of October 12 synonymous with Columbus. In my triptych display I illustrate the first hours of the day of discovery through two prints made from my original watercolors, and a parchment storyboard which displays a map and informative text about what is taking place during what was the first hours of American History. While my triptych is only a  fraction of all that is known about the subject, to me it represented what the 500 year Quincentenial was all about.

In my watercolor titled: "Discovery Fleet On October 12, 1492", I created a higher than usual eye level that gave me an opportunity to give viewers a peek at the Santa Maria's crew as they decorate the ship in preparation for the landing. It's an unusual view for this type of subject. The many angles suggest excitement and great expectations as they search the island for a safe anchorage. The rugged cays and cliffs in the background place the ships in the right atmosphere, and beyond we get a small glimpse of a beautiful island with dense trees and foliage.

In doing my watercolor titled: "Christopher Columbus, Admiral Of The Ocean", I decided on a profile that would suggest power and determination. I surrounded him with symbols of what he is and managed to find a way to include one of his caravels into a tricky arrangement of space. Although he is the dominating force in the composition, one can't help looking out with him at the island that he is about to claim in the name of the Queen. He has put on a scarlet doublet for the occasion and perhaps - being a person of devout religious convictions - he paused for a moment of prayer and reflection, he now realizes that the titles promised him by his Monarchs are now assured and strengthened.  

The quadrant (a navigation instrument) at the lower left, and rolled maps symbolize the Admiral's ability as a navigator. If one could unroll the maps , they would show a Middle Ages world with one third of the world missing. However, from that point on, the maps of the world began to improve. Clutching the unfurled banner of the Castle and Lion symbolizes an allegiance to the Spanish Monarchs who backed the discovery voyage.

What did he look like? Nobody can really say. A painting of Columbus was never done during his lifetime, The only available reference to his features is a description given by those who knew him and accompanied him on some of his voyages. The key words as to a likeness of him would be: tall, neither heavy or thin, red hair - that turned white in his early thirties, blue eyes, long face, light complexion with a ruddy tinge, aquiline nose, high cheek bones; and that's it.  A countless number of representative drawings and paintings of Columbus have been made over the centuries; some artists followed the description, some didn't. I combined the description with what I thought to be the better representative portraits of the past. To these I added my own intuitive perception of the way I visualized the subject. this part is unexplainable and perhaps the reason that I paint.

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