Heavy Swells
Classification
seascapes
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Howard Russell Butler
Accession Number
1941-99-17
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Howard Russell Butler’s *Heavy Swells* (1918) captures the raw power of the ocean in a work classified as a seascape at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. An American artist active from the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth, Butler often turned his attention to dramatic natural scenes. Painted during the final year of World War I, the canvas reflects a broader cultural fascination with nature’s enduring force amid global turmoil. The title itself suggests turbulent waters and rolling waves, inviting viewers to feel the movement and energy of the sea. As a gift from the artist...