James Goodwyn Clonney
The painting depicts a fishing party on Long Island Sound. Three fishermen in a small boat in the center of the composition are subjected to three opposite lines of force: the rod that protrudes from the boat on the left side; the anchor rope on the right; and the line clutched by the boy in the center, the tautness of which indicates that a fish has just taken the bait. The people depicted in the painting had already been portrayed in earlier works: an elderly man in a top hat; a boy with a round, flat face and a certain air of caricature about him; and a young black man lying in the pose of an antique faun. Unlike the paintings of Bingham and Mount, Clonney’s work has a characteristic element of humor, as borne out by the penetrating, skeptical gaze the man directs at the boy and the carefree attitude of the reclining figure at the bow. Nevertheless, the slightly grotesque tone of the action is tempered by the minute and calm handling of the background scenery bathed in golden light.
We present today's painting thanks to the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza.
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