The Life Boat

The Life Boat depicts a small wooden boat in stormy waters, nineteen survivors from an unknown disaster. Some passengers look out at the water, others grasp onto each other, and one figure holds an oar. One person pulls another out of the water. The lifeboat takes up most of the canvas, and is located at a diagonal across the center, with the bow of the boat pointed towards the bottom left corner and the stern to the top right corner. The boat with its inhabitants are the only forms in the painting, coming right up to the edge of the canvas. The painting is filled with movement, from the crashing waves to the drama of a figure being pulled out of the water and the passengers with their arms raised. The background of the painting is a dark blue grey of a stormy sky, while the waves have lots of light blue and white, showing the surge created by the storm. Most of the passengers wear white and red, making them stand out from the blues, greys, and browns of the background. Ronay’s brushstrokes are visible and contribute to the perilous look to the water. The passengers’ faces are minimally detailed, only creating the impression of eyes, noses, and mouths. Overall, everything in this painting contributes to a sense of drama and tension, reminiscent of Winslow Homer’s The Life Line (1884), as well as Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa (1819), though Ronay’s painting is much less graphic in content, portraying a scene where the audience can believe everyone is safe, rather than the harsh realities of what might have actually happened. It’s not difficult to envision The Life Boat as an allegory upon America’s social contract during the Great Depression.

About the Artist

Stephen R. Ronay was born in Arad, Hungary (now Romania) in 1900. He attended the Royal Academy of Design in Budapest, and moved to the United States sometime after that, around 1925, becoming a citizen in 1930. He resided in New York City and Long Island for most of his career, and at some point, he attended the National Academy of Design. Eventually, he moved to Delray Beach, Florida until his death in 1983. His works appeared at the MoMA, Parrish Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Corcoran Gallery, as well as solo exhibitions around New York City and later in Florida. Ronay was a painter, sculptor and lecturer, but most of his remaining viewable works were created as a cartoonist and commercial illustrator. A mordant cartoon for The New Yorker in 1939 makes for an interesting comparison with The Life Boat. In 1940 he created three humorously chaotic advertisements the New York Telephone Company, which encouraged calls back home while on vacation. During World War II he created surreal and gently whimsical covers for Liberty magazine (1, 2) and Collier’s. In a gentler vein, Ronay provided the illustrations for Edna N. Brown’s book for children entitled How Many Miles to Babylon? (1941). During the 1950s and ‘60s, he continued to create commercial art and exhibit his paintings. One review of a 1966 show used his painting “Van Gogh in Long Island” to make broader claims about that artist’s influence upon Ronay (Margold). 1 work at Weisman Art Museum. 5 images at FAP.

Work Consulted: Jane Margold, “it’s Motherly Art Whistler Never Could’ve Done,” Newsday 1 July 1966: 83.

Ronay, Stephen R[obert], 1900 - 1983

Singer, Ella (description and biography)

Helquist, Morgan (photography)

New Deal Gallery, Mount Morris NY

Object #FA 404

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Oil on canvas painting

36 x 24 in.