Artwork
Wild Weather
Wild Weather is an unspecified painting by the American Impressionist artist Frederick Judd Waugh. It dates from 1930 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Wild Weather is a marine painting by Frederick Judd Waugh that depicts wind-driven waves crashing over stark rock formations.
Wild Weather is a marine painting by Frederick Judd Waugh that depicts wind-driven waves crashing over stark rock formations. Classified within the genre of marine art, the composition is built around two primary subjects identified in its cataloguing: the wind wave and the broader tradition of marine imagery. By focusing on waves in violent collision with exposed rocks, the work visualizes the raw force of stormy seas at sea, a recurring preoccupation in Waugh's oeuvre.
The painting belongs to a small group of Waugh seascapes held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is displayed alongside Roaring Forties as one of two representative marine works by the artist. Its subject matter thus functions both as a naturalistic study of tempestuous coastal conditions and as an emblem of the marine genre's longstanding interest in the elemental power of the ocean.
Technique & Style
Frederick Judd Waugh’s Wild Weather (1930) is an oil painting executed on a Masonite support, measuring 75.9 by 122.2 centimeters. The artist employed a carefully documented palette consisting of permalba white, cadmium pigments, alizarin, cerulean, cobalt, and ultramarine blues, viridian, raw and burnt sienna, and ivory black. This selection underscores the work’s vivid yet naturalistic depiction of turbulent marine elements.
The handling is characterized by fluid, gestural brushwork, particularly in the depiction of crashing waves and frothy spray, while the rock formations exhibit more controlled, textured strokes. The composition balances dynamic movement with structural solidity, reflecting Waugh’s stylistic emphasis on both dramatic realism and formal harmony.
History & Provenance
Wild Weather is an oil on masonite painting by Frederick Judd Waugh dated to 1930. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains, as one of two seascapes by the artist in the museum’s holdings. Waugh’s recorded palette for marine paintings includes permalba white, cadmiums, alizarin, cerulean blue, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, viridian, raw sienna, burnt sienna, and ivory black, reflecting the technical approach used in this composition.
Since 1930, Wild Weather has been held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accessioned as 30.92. Its inventory number is 30.92. The painting has been on continuous display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the museum’s marine art holdings.
Overview
Frederick Judd Waugh's "Wild Weather" is an oil painting executed on masonite, showcasing the American artist's dedication to marine subjects. This work captures a powerful and dramatic ocean scene, characteristic of Waugh's oeuvre. It is one of two seascapes by the artist currently held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reflecting his prominence in the genre.
Context
Currently part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, "Wild Weather" is displayed alongside another of Waugh's seascapes, "Roaring Forties." Its inclusion underscores Waugh's significant contribution to American landscape and marine painting. The work provides insight into his consistent exploration of the ocean's varied moods and its powerful, ever-changing presence.
Artist & collection
Artist
Frederick Judd Waugh (September 13, 1861 in Bordentown, New Jersey – September 10, 1940) was an American artist, primarily known as a marine artist.
