A master of rendering ships at sea with outstanding realism, John Steven Dews is widely regarded as the greatest living marine painter. In the present work, Dews' skillful depiction of dynamic movement is fully evident as he faithfully renders the yacht Rainbow racing towards victory in the 1934 America’s Cup. Harold Vanderbilt’s Rainbow was matched against Sir Thomas Sopwith’s Endeavour in the thrilling race. With their sweeping deck lines and beautiful curves, all of the grace of these grand yachts are captured in Dews' composition. Imbued with excitement and energy, the monumental oil on canvas captures the action and excitement of these ships at full sail, pulling his viewer into the heart-racing adventure of the race.

The yacht Endeavour was built specifically to challenge Rainbow, the cup favorite. Sopwith was an accomplished skipper and a racing yacht innovator, and it was believed the Endeavour had a good chance of success. Vanderbilt’s yacht, on the other hand, was made relatively on the cheap in order to meet new regulations. To reduce costs, Vanderbilt took much of the equipment and hardware from his old yacht Enterprise, and even borrowed expensive sails. The new yacht was named Rainbow to inspire hope during the Great Depression and, despite its inexpensive fabrication, she was remarkably fast in trials and eventually won the America’s Cup against Endeavour.

Born in Yorkshire in 1949, Dews learned his trade at the Hull Regional College of Art after being turned down as a candidate at numerous naval academies. He turned to art to express his love for the sea, eventually building a sizable enough portfolio to mount his first exhibition in 1976. An astounding success, nearly the entire collection was sold on opening night, and Dews received 17 new commissions. Ever since his blockbuster opening, Dews has enjoyed remarkable success and critical acclaim, earning numerous prestigious commissions and awards to this day as one of Britain’s most sought-after living artists.