ABOUT THE WORK

An unusual genre work portraying what is supposed to be a rural occupational activity, the subtly stylized human figures highlight the frieze like composition suggests a belated art deco mural, yet the inner tension of the rowers correspond to its graphic expression; the taut contours of the sails which are sometimes angular, sometimes rounded. The pale earthy colors and strange watery blues of the sky create a “wet” mood. “Fishermen” illustrates Austria’s ability to make a “snapshots” of brawny rowers and to do so with great liveliness and force. In this painting Austria reaches a pitch of frenzied energy almost chaotic in its intensity, sweeping the rowers’ positions, gestures and fluid actions up in its surging rhythms. The presence of birds and other flying detritus which emphasizes the transience of the scene, but the earthy colors of the rowers seem to anchor the otherwise dynamic picture in place. The delicate yet summary brushwork subtly blurs the identities of the rowers. Its universal turbulence blends the imagined sea — the water is not depicted — and the blue sky.