Iceberg Fantasy

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Artist: Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826–1900)
Medium: Oil on paper backed with canvas
Size: 14 × 17.4 cm (5 1/2 × 6 7/8 in.)
Museum: Smithsonian Institution
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Seascape and landscape sketch possibly showing a view of a tar-covered, floating barrel burning in the cave or indentation of an iceberg, witnessed during the artist's expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. In the foreground at right, a rugged mass of dark ice is illuminated at its base in a vivid red glow. At center left, a sailboat is anchored in a calm bay surrounded by icebergs, which are variously illuminated--potentially by the burning barrel, the midnight sun, or both.

The water itself is also toned in hues of green and red. In the background, this small bay is bounded by a craggy wall of prismatic icebergs, seemingly colored like a rainbow as they reach toward a dark evening sky. In the background at center, another light source, or a reflection of the burning barrel, is visible. Along the lower margin, the beige grounding color is visible.