The Great Unknown Print

Ernest Shackleton wrote of the sunken Endurance, “she was doomed: no ship built by human hands could have withstood the strain. I ordered all hands out on the floe.” The sounds of the ship under pressure ranged from the eerie cries of what sounded like a live creature dying, to loud booms like a cannon exploding as the thick timbers broke one by one. After being locked in the ice for ten months, the SS Endurance was crushed by the ice’s pressure and met a watery grave. In this painting, I have juxtaposed Frank Wild, Second-in-Command, assessing the wreckage with what I imagine the ship’s resting place might look like 100 years later. With the crew and some food stores safely off the ship, Shackleton and his men camped on the ice floes for nearly five months and then endured a difficult journey to Elephant Island on three life boats: the Dudley Docker, the Stancomb Wills, and the James Caird. It was an arduous journey where some of the men suffered both frostbite and dysentery; the salt spray was terribly abrasive on their eyes and even bloodied their lips. Many of them had gone over 80 hours without sleep. But miraculously, they landed safely. Shackleton’s ability to shift gears and meet the demands of each new challenge was one of the strengths of his leadership. His new mission was to keep his crew alive and seek their rescue. Shackleton saw himself as the father of the men of his crew and he committed himself to bearing the responsibility for their lives.

Print:Giclee on Fine Art Paper

Size:9 W x 12 H x 0.1 D in

Size with Frame:14.25 W x 17.25 H x 1.2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.