I'm leaving, but where to?
Untitled (Andries van Eervelt)
Volker Hermes
2024
Acrylic, Edding and various graffiti markers on nettle cloth
In the possession of the artist
Paul is being transported from Caesarea to Rome as a prisoner. Throughout the journey, he entrusts his fate to God. At sea, the ship encounters a violent storm and drifts aimlessly for weeks. Eventually, it is wrecked off the coast of Malta. Everyone survives and makes it safely to shore. The journey to Rome becomes a harrowing ordeal hovering between life and death.
The image depicts neither a specific shipwreck nor Paul himself; instead, the turbulent sea becomes the central motif. It conveys a palpable sense of danger and disorientation, yet also of hope. The scene remains open to interpretation, taking on a symbolic quality.
It alludes to the many hardships Paul endured during his travels—including multiple shipwrecks. Yet, he was never deterred from continuing on his path. An angel of God had foretold the shipwreck off Malta, allowing him to remain calm and confident even amidst the storm.
The painting is a contemporary interpretation based on a work by Andries van Eertvelt (*Ships in a Storm off a Rocky Coast with a Shipwreck*, 1627, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aachen).
