A ‘stormy petrel’

A Rockwell Kent illustration in Moby Dick, or the Whale, by Herman Melville, in the show “Rockwell Kent: A Force of Nature,’’ at the Cahoon Museum of American Art, Cotuit, Mass., June 17-Dec. 20.

The museum says:

“Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) is remembered today as an artist, illustrator, explorer, writer, and political activist. Though he was born in the village of Tarrytown, New York, Kent traveled throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Alaska, Newfoundland, Tierra del Fuego, Greenland, and Cape Cod. His book N by E tells the tales of several such dramatic adventures in his own words, through his own artwork.

“Both Kent’s art and written works express his philosophical considerations of the natural world and humanity’s role in it. Inspired by transcendentalist and mystic philosophies, his pieces often feature one or two central figures isolated amongst the raw power of nature: rolling waves, rugged mountains, or an almost invisible horizon. In addition to his vast travels, his work maintained significant connections to Massachusetts through several projects, including his celebrated illustrated volume of Moby Dick or The Whale by Herman Melville. This masterpiece of illustration is exemplary of the infinite, elemental aspects of life that Kent himself boldly pursued throughout his career as the ‘stormy petrel of American art.’’’