Sea Bird Saga III 1966

Wallace Bradstreet Putnam made this, one of a series, with charcoal. It feels like the artist was really in the moment here, almost thrashing at the paper to conjure this scene. I imagine him wrestling with the charcoal to pin down a memory, a feeling… maybe the experience of being at sea, battling against the elements. I see marks pulled across the surface, smudged into being. There are dense, dark passages. It feels urgent, immediate. There are multiple readings, but they come together to suggest a narrative; I see it as a modern history painting. Maybe Putnam was also looking at other artists - perhaps Winslow Homer, with his dramatic seascapes. There is a powerful tradition of artists responding to the sea, from Turner to Hodgkin. It’s like one big conversation that spans generations. Putnam’s just adding his voice to the chorus. Painting is an amazing thing, isn't it?