The Bat-Wing Sail
- Date:
- 1920s
- Medium:
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Victoria and Albert Museum
Description
Created in the 1920s, this print takes its title from the distinctive shape of a sail, the bat-wing configuration being a broad, angular form that spreads outward like the membranes of a bat's wing. Walter J. Phillips likely depicts a boat equipped with this type of sail on a Canadian waterway, the unusual sail shape creating a dramatic silhouette against sky and water. The bat-wing sail is associated with certain types of working vessels, including some Chinese junk designs and Polynesian craft, and its appearance in a Canadian context suggests either an exotic vessel encountered by Phillips or a colloquial term for a local sail configuration. The print's subject gave Phillips an opportunity to explore the geometric tension between the angular sail and the organic curves of water and shoreline. The woodblock medium renders the sail's flat surface and sharp edges with graphic clarity.
More Prints by Walter J. Phillips
More Seascapes Prints
Child of the Sea
1940
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Pacific Ocean, Awa Province (Boshu Taikai), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu)"
Boshu Taikai
1925
Color woodblock print; oban
Pine Beach at Miho (Miho no Matsubara), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)"
September 1931
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bat-Wing Sail was created by Walter J. Phillips in 1920s.
The Bat-Wing Sail depicts seascapes and animals.