Longitude, 189 x 256 cm, Etching and Drypoint (Edition of 20), ©Neil John Pittaway
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Key to Longitude etching |
15 Image of Greenwich, London in the time of Charles II
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1 Admiral Nelson’s Funeral procession on the River Thames |
16 John Harrison's H4 Time Piece which won the Longitude prize
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2 South American Globe Symbolising the stable world
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17 John Harrison’s Prototype for solving the Longitude problem |
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3 Admiral Nelson being brought back on the damage HMS Victory from the Battle of Trafalgar at Gibraltar
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19 HMS Bounty, Captain Cook’s Ship |
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4 Shipwreck caricatures from the James Gillray shipwreck scenes
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20 The 5 Continents of the world – symbolising that Longitude was used to map the worlds ocean |
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5 Ship mast structure and 18th century lamp |
21 Satellite image of central Paris. (These satellite images symbolise the modern ideas of exploration now).
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6 The Manhattan skyline, New York City |
22 Mechanical automata guiding ships safely, this represents what happened after the Longitude problem was solved by John Harrison |
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7 JMW Turner Steam ship painting symbolising the modern world and industrial power in the 19th Century |
23 The Louvre museum, Paris |
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8 18th century clipper ship – ship of discovery
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24 Satellite image of central London. (These satellite images symbolise the modern ideas of exploration now)
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9 Statue of Liberty – in a beacon of light chandelier |
25 Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) representing world time |
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10 The Brooklyn Bridge, New York City |
26 Shipwreck caricatures from the James Gillray shipwreck scenes |
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11 H4 – John Harrison’s chronometer that solved and won the prize for Longitude
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27 Royal Hospital Greenwich by Sir Christopher Wren |
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12 Industrial revolution – coal train and Lions representing strength and imperial power
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28 Admiral Nelson’s Battle Victories |
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13 Sir Walter Raleigh
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29 Satellite image of the Millennium Dome and the East end of London
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14 Portrait of Admiral Lord Nelson |
30 Captain Scott’s expedition to the Antarctic |
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The ideas and context behind Neil’s Longitude etching
The starting point for this work stemmed from Neil's interest in the visual world; it’s history and development through creative and inventive processes, and how these have in turn shaped the modern planet we live in. Neil was and is fascinated by the history of Longitude and how it was solved by the Yorkshire 18th Century clock maker and inventor John Harrison (1693 -1776); this became the focal point for his etching 'Longitude'.