A eye-catching marine narrative of the early 20TH Century might of the United States Navy, an Atlantic Squadron led by ACR-2, Armed Cruiser NEW YORK, heads for home after a tour of more than five years. During that period NEW YORK cruised the waters of South America in 1899, led the Asiatic Fleet out of Singapore, visited Japan, China, Hong Kong and Russia, arrived in San Francisco in November of 1902, transferred to the Pacific Squadron, hosted President Roosevelt in San Francisco, and cruised Panama and Peru before returning to New York for a full modernization in 1904.
Tyler sets the mood toward somber, with his oil pigment choices primarily of black and white, with touches of color influencing sections of the ship's decks. NEW YORK's stacks are churning out hot smoke into the cool fog atmosphere. Three ships follow the armored cruiser, all still with lofty spars on their dual and singular masts with multiple observation platforms.
Tyler's powerful ocean is broken by the sharp bow of NEW YORK, the whitewater impact against the ship spraying outward. Touches of heavier impasto in the sea portrays the depth of field, as does the fading clarity of the more distant warships. ACR-2, built in 1890 by William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia and commissioned in 1893, would go on the carry the names SARATOGA from 1911-1917 and ROCHESTER from 1917 until she was struck from the register in 1938. Her emotional sense of pride is carried out by the artist.
