The artwork “In the Hollow of His Hand” by Elizabeth Thompson is a Romanticism piece that belongs to the marina and cloudscape genres. It is part of the series “From sketch-book and diary,” published in 1909 by Elizabeth Butler, which is another name used by the artist.
The painting depicts a serene maritime scene at what appears to be either dawn or dusk. The sun (or moon) is positioned centrally in the sky and is partly obscured by the soft, billowing clouds that dominate the upper portion of the canvas. Its light reflects gently on the water’s surface, creating a path of luminosity on the rippled sea. A lone boat with a figure is subtly rendered near the center of the piece, positioned on the light path on the water, which gives a sense of the boat being guided or protected by a higher power. The colors are muted, and there’s an overall tranquility to the scene, emphasizing the Romantic movement’s focus on the grandeur and emotion of natural settings. The vastness of the sky and sea juxtaposed with the smallness of the boat serves to underscore themes of human insignificance in the face of nature’s majesty.
