Art: Submarinescapes

Chris Olsen’s first contribution to the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan was a wax bedbug, 15,000 times life size. When a vacancy occurred in the Living Invertebrates Department in 1916 Chris Olsen was given a regular job, added submarine painting to his sculpture and magnification. Last week when the Museum gave an exhibition of art works by staff members the public had a chance to see Chris Olsen’s latest paintings.

Most submarine painters squint at the ocean’s bed through glass-bottomed buckets or make their sketches and paintings on dry land after exploring in diving suits. But not Chris Emile Olsen. In a one-piece bathing suit and crepe-soled tennis shoes Artist Olsen slips into the water. A 65-pound metal helmet is placed over his head and shoulders, attached to an air pump on board ship. He goes down 20 to 35 ft., takes with him a Monel steel tripod, easel, and palette spread with regular oil colors. He paints on 8 by 10 in. glass plates covered on both sides with primed canvas.

At first Chris Olsen experienced difficulties. The density of the water destroyed perspective. He would often miss his canvas altogether. When he dropped brushes, they would float to the surface. Now he has mastered the knack of water perspective, uses a palette knife instead of a brush. To avoid chills, even in the warm Bahaman waters where he paints, he stays down only 20 minutes at a stretch, makes four or five trips a day. Sometimes Dr. Roy Waldo Miner, the Museum’s Curator of Living Invertebrates, joins him, once took an under water cinema of him at work (see cut). There was no special realism about the Olsen submarinescapes last week to indicate they were actually done under water. Coral Outpost was a pastel blue-green, showed a film of sunlight filtering down to brownish mushroom coral, three pink, blue and yellow Yellow-Tail fish. Sunlit Coral Alle was a gentle blue and yellow composition of coral polyps and purplish-brown sea fans. Aside from their paleontological significance the pictures suggested pleasant decorations for yachts, bathrooms, villas by the sea.