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Fishermen at Sea
ca. 1913 Henry Ossawa Tanner Born: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1859 Died: Paris, France 1937 oil on canvas 46 x 35 1/4 in. (116.9 x 89.5 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Jesse O. Tanner 1983.95.215 Not currently on view
Conservators discovered this painting on the back of Henry Ossawa Tanner’s Salomé during restoration. Early in his career, Tanner painted marine scenes that showed man’s struggle with the sea, but by 1895 he was creating mostly religious works. In this painting, Tanner depicted a passage described in the book of Matthew: "But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary." The surging sea pushes the boat to an almost vertical position, revealing the fishermen that Tanner rendered as dabs of paint.
This object is currently on view at the Museum's Renwick Gallery.
For more information about this work visit the Luce Foundation Center.
Keywords
Architecture - boat - sailboat
Figure(s) in exterior - water
Occupation - industry - fishing
Waterscape - sea
painting
paint - oil
fabric - canvas
About Henry Ossawa Tanner
Born: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1859 Died: Paris, France 1937
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