Ian Hansen, "Sophocles," 24 x 36, oil. Born in Bordertown, Ausrralia, Ian Hansen is a self-raugh r marine artist. H e srarred painring when he was eighr yea rs old and joined rhe Royal Ausrralian Navy as an ap prenrice shipwrighr when he was only fifteen. He served rwelve years, reaching rhe rank of Chief Perry Officer. Upon leaving rhe navy, Ian decided to become a full-rime artist. His firsr one-man show was in Sydney in 1974; his mosr recenr show was a bicenrenary exhibirion in Sydney in which all 43 of his painrings sold. Ian is a keen yachrsman who sails in single-handed yachr races and is currendy rebuilding a 45-foor rimber yachr for cruising in rhe Pacific. The Sophocles carried rhe jubilee rig (wirh no royals) of the 1890s, whose non-caperin g proftle and broad, shallow sails look awkward when compared to earlier rigs.
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Robert P. Davis, "Arriving Troop Ships, 1945," 30 x 40, oil. "Afrer rhe victory in Europe, rhere were over 1.8 million troops rerurning home. To band, cheers, cakes and cookies, and graceful love, most of rhe Gis enrered rhe Porr of New York aboard anyrhing rhar could floar, mosdy chartered rramps and marginal tonnage from rhe neurral warri me co unrries . Every day rhere were five to ren rroop ships docking from Europe like a long victory parade, and rhe bands played on. I've shown a scene ar rhe foor of 49th Street in Manhattan with rwo such vessels berrhed and one being hawsered in. " Roberr P. Davis was a srudem of Arthur Koch of rhe Choare School and Yale Universiry School of Fine Am. He has also srudied wirh rhe marine artisr Gordon Granr. He began his professional career working for adverrisi ng agencies in New York, including Ogilvy, Benson and Marher. He larer served as a producrion designer and became a morion picrure arr director, winning an Academy Award and a Golden Lion Award ar rhe Venice Fi lm Fesrival for borh design and direcrion. Davis has raced in rhe famous yachr Ondine in rhe TransArlamic race and in rhree Fasmer races aboard rhe Irish currer Helen of Howth.
SEA HISTORY 102, AUTUMN 2002