Coast of Labrador 1866

William Bradford created this painting of the Coast of Labrador using oil on canvas. A traditional material, perhaps, but Bradford was not your typical landscape painter. Look closely, and you'll see figures struggling to move their boats through a shallow inlet. The precariousness of their labor is contrasted against the sublime, almost otherworldly sunset. It suggests a human struggle against the elements, one intimately tied to the sea as a resource. Bradford was fascinated by the whaling industry and made several trips to the Arctic. His paintings document these voyages, but they also touch upon the culture and lives of the Inuit people, and the economy that revolved around whaling. The industry depended on the labor of countless individuals, often at great personal risk, for the benefit of a global economy. It’s tempting to see this work as simply a beautiful scene, but it also asks us to consider the lives and labor embedded in the image. By bringing these factors to our attention, Bradford has complicated the distinction between fine art and social commentary.