
Aurora Borealis And Arctic Expedition

by Science Source
Title
Aurora Borealis And Arctic Expedition
Artist
Science Source
Medium
Painting - Photograph
Description
Polar explorer Isaac Israel Hayes's ship, the SS United States, lying frozen in Arctic pack ice under a display of the Northern Lights. Hayes and painter Frederic Edwin Church (1825-1900) were friends, and upon Hayes's return from the Arctic in 1861, he gave Church his sketches as inspiration for this painting. During the Civil War, the auroras--usually visible only in the north---were widely interpreted as signs of God's displeasure with the Confederacy for advocating slavery, and of the high moral stakes attached to a Union victory. Viewers understood that Church's painting of the Aurora Borealis alluded to this divine omen relating to the unresolved conflict.
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May 25th, 2020
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