“The Poor Fisherman”
Symbolism.
“The Poor Fisherman” is an oil on canvas painting from 1881 by the French artist, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. This is one of two versions of this piece. The other is in the collections of the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, Japan.
Chavannes depicts a widower and his children in a bleak landscape to create a sense of desolation and resignation. If you notice any subtle Biblical references in this piece, you are quite right. The man stands in the boat with his hands clasped together and his head down, as if in prayer.
When “The Poor Fisherman” was first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1881, it garnered a lively, yet negative response. Compared to the painting style of the day, this piece was seen as unrealistic and radical. The flatter perspective and overall greenish hue was hated by art critics who compared it to the “dull, flat frescoes of the past”.
However, younger artists of the day, such as Picasso, Gauguin, and Seurat were excited at the new way in which Chavannes was painting. His colors were more muted and his figures more simplified. Picasso was heavily influenced by Chavannes and direct stylistic comparisons are often made between Chavannes’s style and Picasso’s Blue and Rose periods.
Interestingly, this was the first piece of Chavannes to have been bought by the French government. Though it was shown at the Salon in 1881, it wasn’t sold until it’s second exhibition in 1887.
“The Poor Fisherman” is currently on display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.
For more on Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
