On the Waterfront

By Annette Hinkle

Today, there are many people who have never heard of him. But ask someone with a little history in Sag Harbor. Artist Cappy Amundsen was a veritable fixture in the village from 1945 until the early 1990s when, destitute and unable to physically care for himself, he was placed in a nursing home.

Though Amundsen died January 18, 2001 at the age of 89, he remains a local legend. His paintings of whaling scenes, coastal views and life along the docks are second to none and many a home in Sag Harbor still has a Cappy or two hanging on the walls.

June 9, 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of Amundsen’s birth, and East Hampton art dealer Terry Wallace has organized two summer exhibits in Sag Harbor and a special event at The American Hotel focusing on the artist’s work.

The first is “The Life and Art of C. Hjalmar ‘Cappy” Amundsen” a show of 10 of the artist’s whaling scenes — considered to be his finest work — at the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum (200 Main Street). That show opens with a reception on June 3 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“The last time that many of them were on view was in a show at the Whaling Museum in 1956,” explains Wallace. “That year, Moby Dick was made into a movie and there was a rejuvenation of interest in whaling. Just shy of 20,000 people came through to see that exhibit — most of them local people who usually didn’t go to these things.”

“His whaling scenes are incredible,” says Wallace. “You could put them against any artist. He’s the last artist to do a large body of work on them.”

Wallace has also organized a second exhibit at the Sag Harbor Historical Society’s Annie Cooper Boyd House (174 Main Street) titled “The Many Aliases of Cappy Amundsen,” a show running May 28 to September 1 devoted to the many assumed names Amundsen painted under during his lifetime. Wallace is also publishing a book on the artist, “Cappy: The Life and Art of C. Hjalmar Amundsen” which comes out June 15 and will be celebrated with an event at The American Hotel on June 23. Paintings by the artist will also be available for purchase at the event with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Whaling Museum.

It was the late Anthony Pintauro, a Sag Harbor resident, who urged Wallace over the course of many years to write a book on Amundsen. In preparation for writing the book, Wallace did extensive research. He obtained scrapbooks and diaries belonging to the artist, read every issue of the Sag Harbor Express from 1945 to 1975 (along with a similar number of issues of the East Hampton Star) and interviewed 60 people who knew Cappy personally. Wallace found that getting the facts straight about a man who loved to tell stories was quite a challenge.

Literature » Blog Archive » John Steinbeck Facts

There are a few novels, that talk about the working man and his struggles and hardships to make two ends meet. Out of those, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men are must reads. The author of such classics, and of other literary gems, is none other than John Steinbeck. A working man’s bard, his novels and short stories, detail hate, love and hardship against the beautiful landscape of farmland America. Many of his literary works have been adapted into award winning films and plays. In this article, we look at some facts about John Steinbeck , both of his life and work.

✍ Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist and philosopher was one of John Steinbeck’s closest friends. They wrote The Log from the Sea together and he was a major influence on John’s work. When Ed Ricketts died in 1948 from a car accident, John Steinbeck couldn’t make it in time to see him, and his 2nd wife Gwyn divorced him, that very day. Ed’s death deeply depressed John for a year, and his work quality suffered drastically during that time period.

✍ Steinbeck had a left-wing political stance and was a member of the League of American Writers. He regularly attended strikes and meeting of workers unions. He stood up for Arthur Miller, during the “House Un-American Activities Committee” trials. His visits to Russia and suspected pro-commie attitude, made him a FBI target (which they deny to this day), and he was repeatedly audited by the U.S IRS.

✎ 2 of John Steinbeck’s “California novels” are his most famous and acclaimed works. Of Mice and Men (1937) told the tale of 2 farm workers, and their struggle to have a land of their own. The key theme was racism and prejudice towards the mentally ill, with an underlying note of lost dreams and independence. The Grapes of Wrath (1939) won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940, for its gripping Great Depression story, of a working class family’s journey to a better land. Both stories are sympathetic to the ordinary man and workers, with a cynical view of the profits of capitalism. Other popular works are: East of Eden (1952), Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947) and Travels with Charley (1962).

American reference books annual

Black & white

A John Steinbeck encyclopedia

Conversations with John Steinbeck

Steinbeck, a life in letters