Admirable Artists: Howard Pyle

I use this painting as the wallpaper on my iPhone. While there were several famous paintings already available for screens settings, I uploaded this one specificly not only because its ideal vertical composition, but also because if my long standing memory with the piece itself.

I remember when I was about eight years old, my brother got a Lego magazine in the mail, a easy way of marketing new products to their eager auidence. In these early days before the company sold out to movie types for there set designs and their fan magazine became more like just another catalog, they used the pages of this publication to inspire imagination. The magazine I remember revolved around their new pirate themed set and the new "Skull Island" base that was "outrageously priced" according to my mother. Anyway, in addition to all sorts of adds for the pirate sets, there was an article in it about actual pirates which featured this particular painting. I don't remember anything about the article itself, only that I would dig this magazine up from the bin it had been tossed into and just look at this picture just about every other afternoon. I was mesmerised by the shimmering gold galieon in the distance.

Robin Hood on his deathbed, his fingers remembering their old strength, reaching to the past for one final shot before closing his eyes for the final time, showing that yes, even legends can die.

But also the promise of rebirth and return.

Plenty of pirates.