Asia Looks Seaward

Perhaps we can divide those seagoing societies actively, using the ocean as

source, arena, and avenue, into the maritime and the oceanic. Maritime states

construct and maintain all the apparatus of maritime life, including industries

such as shipyards, shipping, docks, and warehouses; institutions such as insur-

ance, banking, and brokerage; and the know-how to generate, distribute, and

control information relating to these matters.

But some seagoing societies carry their activities into another dimension, the

realm of the arts. I would call these oceanic as opposed to maritime societies; they

use the ocean as a source of cultural stimulus and a means for artistic expression.

Life in Polynesia, for example, is ocean-centered rather than land-centered.

So were the original inhabitants of the eastern Pacific coast, today’s British

Columbia.

In the modern culture of the North Atlantic world, the ocean has been an

important presence. Be it in the writings of an English poet like Lord Byron:

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean—roll!

Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain,

Man marks the earth with ruin—his control

Stops with the shore.

Or the American Longfellow:

My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea

The heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.

The pounding of the surf, the cries of the seabirds, the ding dong of the bell

buoy, and the roar of the foghorn create a symphony of sounds attractive to the

poet and to the composer as well.

These sounds of the sea have inspired musicians as well as writers. Germany’s

Richard Wagner, France’s Claude Debussy, and England’s Benjamin Britten all

struck oceanic themes in their work. The sailor at his work inspired the simple

sea shanty. It made hard labor easier by imparting rhythm to it.

Painters too were attracted to the luminous quality of the light cast by the sea,

a result of the refractory combination of sky, water, and saltwater particles in the

air. The Dutch were the first great European marine artists, but others would

respond enthusiastically, including Monet, Turner, and Homer. They were

drawn to the ocean and to what takes place upon it, recognizing that it offered

dramatic subjects for the brush. And in this Atlantic culture, many artists across

the spectrum have chosen the sea as metaphor, identifying the voyage as life’s

journey and the sea as a symbol of human interaction and the continuing struggle

with the powers of nature.

Why is this so strong in some North Atlantic cultures? Why is it so lacking in

East Asian civilization? Few Asian artists from any genre have shown much

20 Asia Looks Seaward