Oostend Fisherman

Description

NOTES
A fisherman in rubber boots, oilskin jacket, and hat opens his mouth as though shouting to a distant comrade. A marine ray at his feet suggests the nature of his profession. Constantin Meunier may have modeled this figure after laborers he observed at the wharf at Ostend, a Belgian coastal city. Meunier became well-known late in his career for sculptures of workers at docks, mines, and forges and in agriculture and domestic occupations. Despite this fisherman’s grueling employment, his upright posture and muscular physique lend dignity, even heroism, to his labor.

In 1939, the Musée Constantin-Meunier dedicated to his work was opened in the last house in which Meunier lived and worked, in Ixelles, Brussels. Today about 150 of his works are displayed there.[9] M – Museum Leuven also holds a number of important works by Meunier,[10] as does Brussels’ Fin-de-Siècle Museum. The Galleria d’arte moderna di Milano, one of the most important modern art collection in Italy, holds “The fisherman of Ostend”, 1850.

CURRENT LOCATION
Not on view
DIMENSIONS
31 3/4 x 11 3/8 x 8 5/8 in. (80.6 x 28.9 x 21.9 cm)