![]() Measuring with his sextant before making the turnaround, he recorded that he had reached 81☃5′ north, which, if his measurement were accurate, would have meant that he had reached the farthest point north to date of any polar expedition.īelieving that they had achieved their objectives, Hayes and his team returned to Greenland to learn that their nation had descended into Civil War. He set out to the Open Polar Sea but, like others before him, was eventually forced by the terrain, harsh climate, and dwindling food supplies to turn back. Church used this sketch and others by Hayes for his painting. Hayes had received rudimentary instruction in draftsmanship from Church before departing and made a watercolor sketch of “Church’s Peak” in 1861. After arriving in Greenland, he encouraged several Eskimos to join his 20-man party as hunters to ensure that his crew would not starve. Isaac Israel Hayes (1832 – 1881) was an American Arctic explorer, physician, and politician who raised $30,000, to led his own expedition from 1860 to 1861.ĭeparting in 1860 aboard the “United States,” he hoped to reach the North Pole. “Church’s Peak” by Isaac Israel Hayes, 1861, a watercolor sketch Arctic Exploration The word “aurora” is derived from the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, who traveled from east to west, announcing the sun’s coming.Īncient Greek poets used the name metaphorically to refer to dawn, often mentioning its play of colors across the dark sky. The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emit light of varying color and complexity. These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma. AuroraĪn aurora, also referred to as northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in the Earth’s sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic.Īuroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. Painted in 1865 at the end of the American Civil War, the painting symbolized renewed optimism in natural and historical events. In 1859, Church traveled to Newfoundland and Labrador. Violet darts tear through a broad flush of yellow,Īnd countless tongues of white flame, formed of these uniting streams,ĭuring his expedition, Hayes had named a 2,540-foot peak “Church’s Peak” after his friend Church and gave his own sketch to the artist.Ĭhurch used Hayes’s sketches as a reference for the peak that appears in his “Aurora Borealis” and painted Hayes’ ship the “United States” in the foreground.Ĭhurch’s friendship with Isaac Israel Hayes stimulated the artist’s interest in the arctic regions. The color of the light was chiefly red, but this was not constant,Īnd every hue mingled in the fierce display.īlue and yellow streamers were playing in the lurid fire Īnd, sometimes starting side by side from the wide expanse of the illuminated arch,Īnd throw a ghostly glare of green into the face and over the landscape.īlue and orange clasp each other in their rapid flight The exhibition, at first tame and quiet, became, in the end, startling in its brilliancy. It settled into an almost steady sheet of brightness… “The light grew by degrees more and more intense, and from irregular bursts, The Arctic explorer Isaac Hayes described the Aurora Borealis as: This work used tones of ochre, brown, gray going to blue or green, and green. The ship’s safe passage through the dark and harsh Arctic environment and American destiny is symbolized by a minute light shining out from one of the ship’s windows.Ĭhurch used small touches of pigment built together through thin applications to ensure that the viewer does not notice the different paint strokes. The ship’s details were drawn from a sketch Hayes had brought back upon returning from the expedition.Īmong the vastness of nature, the tiny ship named “United States” highlighted America’s achievements and American optimism to navigate its future global role. ![]() The painting’s mountain peak was named after Church during an important American Arctic expedition represented by the dwarfed ship. The painting includes personal and nationalist symbolism and references. “Aurora Borealis” by Frederic Edwin Church depicts the Aurora Borealis and the Arctic expedition of Isaac Israel Hayes. “Aurora Borealis” by Frederic Edwin Church
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