The Mermaid

Like a scene from a fantasy tale, a mermaid emerges from the depths of the sea to rescue a shipwrecked man, their pale bodies locked in an embrace under a moonlit sky. Preeminent American illustrator Howard Pyle has masterfully captured the drama of the moment. With his rendering of the frothy ocean, the viewer can imagine the smell of the briny air and the sounds of rolling waves. The large scale of the canvas allows the viewer to be swept up in the scene. Yet, typical of Pyle’s paintings, one is left to ponder what just occurred and what will happen next.

Known as the Father of American Illustration, Pyle helped bring the prose in books to life. He strived to make all his characters realistic and believable, even those that sprang from his vivid imagination. At his art school in southeastern Pennsylvania, Pyle instructed his numerous students (many of whom later became well-known artists) in the art of conveying action, drama, and emotion through painting. He often staged scenes with elaborate props and urged his pupils to “throw your heart into the picture and then jump in after it.”

Although fascinated by historical events such as the American Revolutionary War and tales of adventure that included Robin Hood and King Arthur, themes of the sea—specifically pirates, shipwrecks, and bounty—held a special interest for Pyle. Interestingly, The Mermaid is unfinished. When Pyle embarked on an extended voyage to Italy in November of 1910 to study Italian muralists, the canvas remained on the easel in his studio. A year later, Pyle had died in Florence. Frank Schoonover, one of Pyle’s many students, later added fish and a crab to the painting, but Pyle’s intentions for completing the work remain a mystery.

- Martina Keogan

P.S. Here you can read about Greek mythological creatures that combine female beauty and beastly ugliness.

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