Contemporary Arctic Expeditions

Following in the footsteps of earlier artist- naturalist-explorers, many creatives today organize their own journeys or join government-sponsored expeditions. Although they often use new media and art-making strategies, they also continue to depict the polar regions in the ways pioneered by their predecessors. Contemporary artists are fascinated by historical expeditions, following the routes of these voyages or shattering the myths associated with their legacy.

Doris McCarthy (Canadian, 1910–2010), Iceberg Fantasy, 1978, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in., private collection

Doris McCarthy, inspired by the 1930 expedition of Lawren Harris, traveled to the Arctic forty years later and painted more than sixty icescapes.

Top banner image: Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey (British, both b. 1959), Ice Lens, Svalbard Archipelago, 2005, archival inkjet print, 24 x 32 in. (60.9 x 81.28 cm.)