# Ships in Distress in a Raging Storm [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [BACKHUYSEN, Ludolf]() - Date: 1651-1700 - Technique: Oil on canvas, 150 x 227 cm ## Commentary Ships in Distress in a Raging Storm c. 1690 Oil on canvas, 150 x 227 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The violence of nature is the main focus of Backhuysen's painting. He concentrated on the high waves lashing against the ships The frigate in the foreground attempts to lower her sails before it is too late. Two masts of the ship on the left have nearly been swept overboard. The wild sea finds its echo in the racing clouds. One cannot be certain these ships will reach the coast safely. The painter did not paint an actual shipwreck, the painting is an illustration of a severe storm at sea. ## Related artworks - [A Fishing Pink]() - [Dutch Coastal Vessels]() - [Dutch Vessels off a Coastline on a Breezy Day]() - [Dutch Vessels on the Sea at Amsterdam]() - [Fishing Boats and Coasting Vessel in Rough Weather]() - [Shipping by the Dutch Coast]() - [Ships in a Stiff Breeze]() - [Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast]() - [Ships on the Zuiderzee before the Fort of Naarden]() - [Ships Running Aground in a Storm]() - [Small Dutch Vessels]() - [View from the Mussel Pier in Amsterdam]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()