The Poor Fisherman
Creation period
1879
Dimensions
66x91 cm
66x91
66x91
Technique
oil on canvas
Collection
Exhibition
9
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Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
The Poor Fisherman
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The theories held by symbolism masters are full of deep philosophical musings, and these provide an extended subtext for every painting in this hall. Here, we can see the artworks “The Poor Fisherman” and “Compassion” by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes – a French master who worked in the 1850–1890s. The exquisite ash-gray color scheme of his paintings allows the viewer to focus on the main idea of his works.
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About the method
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Puvis de Chavannes used a new method to counter the former relationship with reality. He defined the method in this way:
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“Every clear thought has a plastic equivalent. But ideas often come to us as intricate and misty. Thus, we must first clarify them so that our inner sight can present them coherently. A work of art has its origin in a vague emotion... I work to comprehend the idea buried in this emotion until it appears in front of me clearly and as distinctively as possible. Then I search for an image to express it in a precise way... This is what we call symbolism.”
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This comment predates the discussions of theoreticians and critics of French symbolism of the 1880s, who saw specific features of the new method in the primary nature of ideas.
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“The Poor Fisherman”
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“The Poor Fisherman” is one of the sketches made for the same-titled painting, but it also has its own significance. A widower fisherman with two children (as the artist described the subject matter of the painting in a letter) can be seen in a mournful praying position. The composition and the color scheme of the sketch demonstrate the trend towards the simplification of ideas, lines, and colors, which is in harmony with symbolists’ goals.
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The disunity of the figures in front of the high horizon line in the uninhabited landscape, the seemingly deliberate incompleteness of the painting, the matte, and the transparent texture of colors strengthen the notes of sadness and bring the atmosphere out of time. The artist tried to express the grief of nature and the consonant state of the human soul. “The Poor Fisherman” was highly appreciated by contemporaries. It is well known that this artwork caught the eye of such famous masters as Georges Seurat and Pablo Picasso.
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The Poor Fisherman
Creation period
1879
Dimensions
66x91 cm
66x91
66x91
Technique
oil on canvas
Collection
Exhibition
9
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