Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates is believed to have paid a record $30m for a seascape by the legendary American artist Winslow Homer, according to the New York Times. The 1885 painting Lost on the Grand Banks shows two fishermen in a choppy sea peering anxiously over the side of their small boat. The sea was one of the most gripping themes in Homer’s work, probably because he saw, in the dangers facing men upon the ocean, a metaphor for life in general. In which case, students of Microsoft are bound to ask whether Bill Gates sees a parallel between those adrift on the ocean, uncertain as to their position, and his own position? As he gazes at Homer’s masterpiece, does Bill wonder whether he too will overcome the perils surrounding his company or will he end as yet another victim of the unforgiving elements?
