Robert Cody
Rowing on the Schuylkill River in January and February in many respects is the best time to row. The river is as flat as glass, the temperatures hover around 30°, which is easy to accommodate, and there is very, very, little river traffic. For those individuals who have logged anywhere from 100 to 200 miles on the water during that time, this may be the new benchmark for 2020, as COVID-19 lockdown continues.
As chairman of the Board of Trustees for a New Jersey health system, I’ve seen the impact of the corona virus firsthand, week after week. But I also witnessed the amazing effort of so many healthcare professionals who organized and improvised to meet this ongoing challenge. I’ll never forget this experience.
I have been giving a lot of thought to the art that has documented the Schuylkill River. Notable was the curated exhibit at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts last year: “From the Schuylkill to the Hudson: Landscapes of the Early American Republic”. Over the winter, I also framed the 2019 HOSR poster, and the original watercolor from which it was generated.
In late June 2019, I learned of the open, judged competition for the 2019 HOSR program book cover. Each contestant could submit two images for consideration. At that time I was reviewing the works of Da Vinci in some detail, including his “Vetruvian Man”. I realized that I could capture something like that, in the geometric form of a scull, and the rowing positions of start to finish. This started out as a very geometric and symmetric pencil work with a ghosted figure of the “catch” and full figure of the “finish”. As the work progressed, I added additional pencil work, and graphite powder to provide the background. I imported this image into a software program, so that I could use my iPad Proto add fall colors to the mix.
I was short of time and I needed a backup for my second submission, so I chose a watercolor that I had produced two years previously. It was painted in landscape format and of course a program book cover is in portrait format. I cropped that watercolor into an image that I thought would be suitable for a program book. After I had submitted the two works, I realized that my first very detailed work was not the kind of thing you would expect to see on a program book cover whereas the second submission had more of a “pop” factor. However, I received an email from HOSR leadership on a Sunday night early in September, indicating that my second submission, “Morning Row”, had been accepted for the HOSR program book cover and posters that would be offered for sale. All I can say is that I was more overwhelmed than I would have predicted. I felt so humbled to see the final HOSR program cover produced, di
stributed, and hung with honor in the University Barge Club gallery of previous HOSR program book covers. My framed copy is below.
I know that the 2020 rowing season is crippled. Between the pandemic and the dredging, it’s going to be challenging to get on the river. Also, the likelihood of an organized rowing event in the fall remains a challenge. The best people we have are trying to work on a solution and whatever they decide is something that we all will abide with.
Until the river opens up again, I plan to ride my bike, take photographic images, and continue to produce artwork along the river. We have relied too heavily on the brilliant work of Thomas Eakins to express the feeling of rowing on the Schuylkill River. I ask all artists, as you ease from isolation, to bring your talents and skills to focus on the treasure that we have in Fairmount Park, and the joy of rowing on this fabled river.
Bob is originally a native Philadelphian. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts and rowing in Philadelphia, and has pained in many media over the years. His subject matter ranges from pastoral landscapes to torrid social commentary, but his favorite subject is the scenes of rowing on the Schuylkill River. His artwork sometimes pops up on the Instagram site @midniteinkster, particularly when the moon is full. Bob is a dedicated volunteer and can be found competing in the navy and white of UBC. Thank you Bob!