Hauling Job Sturges House Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hauling Job Sturges House - Research Paper Example The paper "Hauling Job Sturge’s House" explores the painting by David Blackwood. David Blackwood was born in the 1941 in Wesleyville, Newfoundland. The small community on Bonavista Bay received its name from John Wesley, who was a leader of the Methodist movement at the time, which was 1884. This decline was due in part to the brutal struggle of the people to survive in an unforgiving climate. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador has a volatile climate, with an average of six-months of winter each year. The temperatures for the province range from about -5 to -30 degrees Centigrade for extended periods of time. Frequent precipitation, fog and high winds, create a distinct problem for travelers in any venue (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2010). This is the norm for the area, and considering the people at the turn of the century did not have the capacity to understand or protect themselves from such an environment, made life that much more difficult to sustain. T he first people to visit Newfoundland were the Vikings, but it wasn’t until 1497 that John Cabot arrived and announced a â€Å"new found isle† for the King of England. The inhabitants of Newfoundland were the Beothuk people, who hunted caribou and fished. These Native people, also called the Inuit people, survived here for thousands of years before the European’s arrival. These intrepid Eroupean settlers came from France, England, Spain, Ireland, Scotland and Portugal to fish the legendary waters of the Grand Banks. (Greenpeace, USA, 2005). These hunters and fisherman were not aware of the hardships they were preparing to face in their trek to this new land. The frigid temperatures, brutally bone chilling winds and seemingly endless snow took their toll on these settlers. It was only the strongest, most determined of people who were able to survive this hostile climate. They battled the Atlantic to make a living hunting seals and fishing for cod like the native Inuit people. Through the harshest of conditions, these tough, hardy people survived and have created what we know as the Newfoundland of today. David Blackwood has worked throughout his career to keep the way of life of these hardy people alive in his works. Newfoundlanders fought hard to keep the new British North American colony within the British Empire out of their back yards. The mere idea of confederation was abhorred, but Newfoundland and Canada had to try to negotiate and settle many issues throughout the 19th century. It was only because of the collapse of government in 1934 that Newfoundland allowed Canada into its midst. In 1949, Newfoundlanders became Canadian citizens, a mere 8 years after David Blackwood was born. This undoubtedly had an affect on this young man’s psyche, showing him that there may be weaknesses or there may be strength in the decision that Newfoundland made, but no one knows for certain. Certainly, Blackwood has childhood memories that the soc ial construct of the world has all but washed away. This is where his art is so outstanding. His focus is on the age-old traditions and way of life of the early settlers of Newfoundland, which have been forgotten by many. He has chosen to make it his life’s work to ensure that these memories are regaled, enjoyed, embraced by a new generation and ultimately, never die. Blackwood’s talent for etching is expressed in many different ways, but his primary genre is of Newfoundland’s age old traditions and ways of life. His use of etching and aquatint on wove paper is unique to Blackwood himself. Not so much the materials as the technique that he uses in his artworks. His main inspiration was his early years, growing up in the isolated town of Wesleyville on Bonavista Bay in Newfoundland. He relives the culture and rituals