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Rough Seas


Fishermen at Sea Henry Ossawa Tanner navigated tempests throughout his remarkable career as an acclaimed painter.

Born in Pittsburgh on this day in 1859, Tanner drew much praise and honor during his lifetime, including being one of the first black artists to exhibit at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh. Nevertheless, Tanner faced constant financial hardships and racial prejudice, which led him to move to Paris in 1891.

Tanner painted Fishermen at Sea around 1913. It offers a harrowing vision of the struggles inherent in the lives of fishing folk and their battles with the sea. In saying so little about fishing, it still offers us an almost comprehensive study of struggle, a struggle often reflective of Tanner's own life.

Source: Kenneth H. Voyles. DAC News 86 (February 2001).

Pictured: Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1859 USA–1937 France, Fishermen at Sea, about 1913, oil, 46 x 35 1/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jesse O. Tanner.