The Poor Fisherman
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| The Poor Fisherman | |
|---|---|
| French: Le Pauvre Pêcheur | |
 | |
| Artist | Pierre Puvis de Chavannes |
| Year | 1881 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 155.5 cm × 192.5 cm (61.2 in × 75.8 in) |
| Location | Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
The Poor Fisherman (French: Le Pauvre Pêcheur) is an oil on canvas painting by the French painter Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, created in 1879–1881. The first version is held in the Musée d'Orsay, in Paris.[1]
The painting is set in a desolated landscape, where a river occupies most of its space. In the foreground there is a bearded fisherman standing, with eyes closed and hands crossed, in a boat in a waiting gesture and meditative posture. His net is immersed in the water and he probably is hoping to have a better catch than before. His poor and hard life is visible in his tattered gray robes. Similarly, a woman is depicted, who is an older child or the fisherman's wife, collecting flowers or edible roots. Only the child is dressed in a brightly colored robe, which may be a symbol of hope for the future but also of suffering resulting from poverty.[2]
The current painting was one of the most frequently interpreted images of French symbolism. According to the painter himself, the work depicts a fisherman and his two children, and they are supposed to personify poverty. According to other symbolists, the painting was supposed to be an allegory of man's fate or to represent faith in God and the rebirth of life. For others, the figure of the fisherman is an allegory of Jesus Christ.[3]
The painting was painted in an undefined style, with no historical motifs or genre scenes. It was totally different from the then fashionable style presented at the Salons. Despite this, the canvas was enthusiastically received by the young symbolists and was the first work of the artist to be included in the collection of a national museum. The painting received some criticism, mainly related to its supposed lack of realism.
