The Aegean Sea

Frederic Edwin Church

ca. 1877 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Church toured the Near East and Europe in 1867–69. "The Aegean Sea," his final large-scale picture, is a “composite” landscape, based on sketches and photographs the artist had made in disparate locations: on the left are elements of the carved-rock city of Petra, in present-day Jordan; on the right, ancient Roman columns seen in Syria; and in the distance, a mosque suggesting Constantinople and classical ruins evoking the Acropolis in Athens. A double rainbow provides brilliant illumination for the idealized scene. These Old World sites, hallowed by history and the Bible, helped to confirm Church’s beliefs at a time when new scientific discoveries challenged his faith.

Artist

Frederic Edwin Church

Date

ca. 1877

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Bequest of Mrs. William H. Osborn, 1902