Sailor Art
Today we will learn about the �USS Intrepid and sailor art that was made by the people on board.
Before we start, let’s reflect on these questions:
What is an Aircraft Carrier?
An aircraft carrier functions as a portable, floating airport.
There were many different �jobs on board that made �the ship function like a �city at sea.
The USS Intrepid is an aircraft carrier that served from 1943-1974
What is Sailor Art?
Sailor art is art painted on by sailors to decorate spaces in the ship itself. It can be found on doors, walls, and equipment. Many date from the 1970s.
How Can We Preserve Sailor Art?
In order to preserve sailor art, staff covers art to prevent guests from touching. We all have oils and salts on our fingers that can degrade and discolor paint over time.
In areas where paint is peeling a diluted solution of adhesive can be added with a brush before gently pressing the paint flat.
Let’s Analyze Some Sailor Art!
Write down what you notice about �each piece of sailor art.
What do you notice about this piece of sailor art?
Intrepid has always
been a busy place with coffee being a popular theme. The firerooms, where this Goofy cartoon is, were constantly working to propel Intrepid around the world.
This sailor art incorporates many elements in this multicolored psychedelic bunk painting including cartoon characters, pink lips, and rainbow ribbons.
Cartoon characters are a recurring theme in sailor art. The road runner was a popular choice since on board Intrepid everything needed to be done fast.
Nature scenes like, like this window, feature heavily in sailor art.
This painting is of the V-2 Division’s duck mascot and motto. Their green jersey and helmet would have identified them as the flight deck crew that maintained and operated the catapult launching and arresting gear, a position that required you to be bold.
Create a Sailor Art Poster for Intrepid
If you could paint anything on Intrepid what would it be? Where would you paint it?
Go to Google Arts and Culture and take a look around. Pick a place on the ship that you would like to create a sailor art poster for.
To Complete Your Poster You Will Need:
-a piece of paper
-a pencil
-paint
-water cup
-paint brushes
-a black sharpie
1. Sketch Your Poster
Try and think of ways your poster can relate to the place you chose in Google Arts and Culture.
I am creating a poster for one of the sailor’s bunkrooms. I am creating a calm landscape so that the sailors could look at it and relax during their time off.
2. Add Paint
Sailors would have used extra paint they found laying around, sometimes limiting their color palettes.
They often used bright and bold colors to make their work stand out.
4. Outline in Black Sharpie
This step is not necessary but it can make your painting more graphic and bold.
Many sailor art pieces were inspired by cartoons which are often outlined in black.
Reflection