Marooned
Pyle, Howard, American illustrator, painter, author, 1853-1911
1909
oil on canvas
Museum Purchase, 1912

In painting we can only picture the supreme moment, leaving to the imagination what precedes and follows.
Howard Pyle

Marooned, one of Pyle’s most important paintings, exemplifies his philosophy as an artist and a teacher. This painting’s presence, evidenced in both its impressive scale and its powerful emotional impact, advance Pyle’s passionate interest in eliminating the perceived differences between the fine art of painting and the applied art of illustration.

Throughout most of the nineteenth century, fine artists (painters and sculptors) obtained thorough and rigorous training that schooled them not only in the technical requirements of their media but also in the fields of history, literature and the physical sciences. This background enabled artists to create works that had the potential to shape the moral character of the people who viewed their works. On the other hand, works produced for reproduction and distribution in newspapers and magazines to popular audiences were perceived as less creative or artistic and more commercial, and therefore less important than works produced for exhibition in academies of art.

The success of Winslow Homer and Edwin Austin Abbey, both of whom began their careers as illustrators, indicated several encouraging trends to Pyle. Generally, it suggested that well-trained artists saw illustration as a legitimate outlet for their talent and creativity. And, as a result, the level of quality and the variety of expression were likewise increased. The cumulative benefits to illustrators were greater interest in and respect for their work and more opportunities to have their work published. The convergence of these favorable conditions gave rise to “The Golden Age of Illustration.”
"My final aim in teaching will not be essentially the production of illustrators of books, but rather the production of painters of pictures."
Howard Pyle on the founding of his school in Wilmington, Delaware

Pyle’s success as both an illustrator and a teacher of illustration was in no small way responsible for the continuing interest in this art form. His schools of illustration, first under the auspices of Drexel University, then in studios he established in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware, ensured that publishers had an impressive roster of talented artists from which to choose. In providing highly personalized instruction in a collegial atmosphere, Pyle inspired the imaginations and abilities of each of his students.

Pyle often repeated one of his fundamental and closely held beliefs to his students: “First an artist - then an illustrator.” Well aware of the prevailing opinion that classified illustration as a minor art, Pyle encouraged his students and colleagues to create works that could be judged by the same aesthetic and technical standards as easel paintings. In its ambitious scale, bold and grand composition, and powerful psychological impact, Marooned is an exemplar of Pyle’s success in achieving these goals.

Marooning was the practice of abandoning a captive or a mutinous pirate who violated the conventional code of conduct for pirates. Aspects that were governed by the code included the cleanliness of weapons, the distribution of treasure, gambling, fighting and desertion.

The “supreme moment” captured in this painting is one in which the marooned pirate faces his sense of hopelessness and despair. The sun’s bright, hot light on the parched, arid island sands foretell great difficulty in procuring fruits, vegetables and drinking water. The pirate’s frustration and sense of remorse is dramatically presented through his pose and demeanor.