The Home Wind – C. Napier Henry

 " The Home Wind," by C. Napier Henry has been placed in the National Art Gallery and is a fine  and vigorous piece of work, mostly directly from nature. This artist fixates on a ship and paints it as  if it were on the open sea. Mr Henry first developed his love for the sea on a voyage out to Australia  as a boy. He sailed with his father, a well-known musician. They spent about two years in Australia  and then returned home.

I like everything about this painting. The colour is subtle, with a limited palette. The light is picked up in the sails, in the ship, in the water. It has a dreamy quality, which tells a story. The painting is very realistic without being photographic. All the motion and shapes in the water could never be from a photo. The colours in the sky include yellow, blue and rosy pink, which gives a contrast and tension that lights it up. It gives a picture of history in the stitching and design of the sails and the costumes of the sailors. The seabirds and the distant sailboat provide a sense of perspective.