October 13, 2023 – Northwest Passage
This painting, entitled “Man Proposes, God Disposes” by Edwin Henry Landseer, depicts two Polar Bears gnawing on human remains and cargo of the doomed Franklin Expedition in Canada’s high Arctic in 1845.
The artwork is a commentary on the frailty of Man and the dominance of Nature.
The painting, which hangs at Royal Holloway University of London is said to be haunted. Students at the university refuse to write exams in the presence of the artwork, in the long-held belief that doing so will cause them to fail. A Union Jack is draped over the picture at each sitting of exams to this day.
The legend arose when a student taking exams at the university allegedly committed suicide after looking at the painting. The student reportedly wrote, “The polar bears made me do it,” on a suicide note.
While the suicide story and accusations of the painting being haunted are probably just urban legends, the image does exude an eerie quality. A frail human vessel, capsized among icebergs, is being ripped apart by the claws and teeth of giant white bears. A discarded telescope and a shredded flag demonstrate the frailty of men’s endeavours as they trespass in this hostile environment.
The jaws of uncaring creatures crush the bones of a sailor who dared to intrude into their world.
The painting seems to say, “This is our land; you don’t belong here.”
The sad reality is that the relationship between man and nature has swung 180° since Franklin was defeated by the Northwest Passage. Humankind has relentlessly and carelessly asserted dominance over Polar Bears and many of Earth’s other creatures, to the point that they are on the eve of destruction.
A recent study suggests that polar bears may become regionally extinct in southern areas by 2050 if trends continue.
An artistic rendering of man’s relationship with nature would be quite different…
… if bears could paint.
Fight with Polar Bears by Francois-Auguste Biard.
Gervais Goodman
Well said