With these two seascapes we are plunged straight into the atmosphere of the Romantic movement!
Spectacular and dramatic, the two works tell the events which actually took place in the 19th century, a century enamoured by the drama of current events. In the first one painted by Eugène Isabey, you can see the effects of the light produced by the fire at sea which destroyed the steamer Austria. The passengers tried to leave the ship on overloaded rowing boats which crashed against the sides of the boat. The end was tragic because out of 500 passengers, 443 lost their lives! The second painting made by Théodore Gudin, first official painter to the Royal Marines, shows something of an exploit: during a huge storm, Captain Desse, who had set sail from Bordeaux on board the Julia, came across a Dutch ship in distress, the Colombus. He spent the next five days saving the lives of the crew.
Shipwrecks and storms were just some of the favourite themes of 17th century Dutch and Italian painters and were often used by the Romantics who were captivated not only by the dramatic nature of these scenes, but also by the exaltation of the heroic figures.