In The Fog Warning, how is the Description discussed?
The painting depicts a lone fisherman in a dory who has caught several halibut but now sees fog blowing up, threatening to cut him off as he rows back to his ship. His face is turned in profile to the viewer as he looks over his shoulder at the clouds of fog in the background. He is in a race against the dense fog to return to the main ship with his day's work.
The Boston Fine Art Museum gives this description:The Fog Warning is a painting with a narrative, though its tale is disturbing rather than charming. As indicated by the halibut in his dory, the fisherman in this picture has been successful. But the hardest task of the day, the return to the main ship, is still ahead of him. He turns to look at the horizon, measuring the distance to the mother ship, and to safety. The seas are choppy and the dory rocks high on the waves, making it clear that the journey home will require considerable physical effort. But more threatening is the approaching fog bank, whose streamers echo, even mock, the fisherman's profile.
The scene is psychologically tense; the risk of being lost at sea as a result of a sudden fog was all too real at the time, and the viewer does not know whether this man will reach his ship. The weight of the halibut in the stern of the boat is slowing him down, but if he decides to leave his catch behind he will not get paid for his work. The picture has been used in elementary-school education to teach about interpretation of art and fishermen's lives.
dory Boston Boston Fine Art Museum halibut