Galleon Arts • News

The Galleon Arts Collection

Boats Are Coming was procured in 2007 to establish the Galleon-Arts collection. From another point of view, the Galleon-Arts collection was established to facilitate the collection of Boats Are Coming and other emotive artwork. It is fitting that this piece is the inspiration and centerpiece of the Galleon-Arts collection as its seascape is symbolic of the Galleon brand.

Painted by Trinidadian Neville Raphael John in 2004 using acrylics on canvas, Boats Are Coming in the curator’s view is a unique mixture of elements of impressionism, fauvism and expressionism. The sun is setting on three vessels sitting on a moderate sea as they approach the foreground. The sea and sky blend into one with only a trace of a horizon delineated by a light swell. The curling clouds in the background are ominous, suggesting an impending change in the weather.

From the historical perspective, the three vessels are the quintessential Santa Maria, Pinta and Niña and the Amerindian observer is filled with a mixture of hope and fear.