Guess the Artist #40 | Detroit Institute of Arts

Painting in gold frame, subject men in a boat, trying to save a man in the water, shark, one man with a harpoon, buildings and boats in distance — *I took this photo at the DIA a few years ago. Amazing place to visit!*

DRAMATIC painting. So much going on here. You can feel the emotion, the pleas for help, the brave souls trying their best. What happened a few seconds after this painting? Can YOU guess this artist? Read on to find out the artist’s name and information about this painting.

Can you guess this artist? Check below, then read the rest of the story!! I love when I fid information about the painting – I always want to know the story…

A N S W E R :

Title: Watson and the Shark

Artwork Date: 1782

Artist: John Singleton Copley

Life Dates: 1738-1815

Nationality: American

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: Framed: 45 3/16 × 39 × 2 1/2 inches (114.8 × 99.1 × 6.4 cm), Unframed: 36 × 30 1/2 inches (91.4 × 77.5 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit: Founders Society Purchase, Dexter M. Ferry, Jr. Fund

About the Artwork via DIA.org

Brook Watson had been sent to sea at fourteen; he decided to go for a swim while his ship was docked in the shark-infested waters of Havana Harbor. The painting depicts the moment when the shark is coming by for his third and possibly final attempt to make a meal out of Watson. The men in the boat were successful in harpooning the shark and heroically rescued the swimmer. Upon returning to the ship, Watson’s left leg was amputated and he was fitted with a peg leg. Later in life he became Lord Mayor of London and was often satirized, with his peg leg playing an important feature. This is one of three versions that Copley painted to commemorate the heroic rescue of Brook Watson. Rescue Group, a preparatory sketch made by Copley for Watson and the Shark, is also in the DIA collection (acc. no. 48.203).

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