Three Fishermen 

Scott Fraser’s ‘Three Fishermen’ is a contemporary oil painting that prompts us to consider the nature of masculinity, domesticity, and the narratives we construct around both. Here, Fraser subverts traditional representations. Instead of romanticizing the act of fishing, he presents us with a staged tableau that feels both familiar and slightly unsettling. The painting of fishermen hangs above an ornate armchair, upon which lies a single fish. A broom leans against the wall, and a sneaker sits on the floor, its untied lace snaking forward. These objects seem to tell a story of gendered labor and leisure, where the historical image of men engaged in the ‘manly’ pursuit of fishing contrasts with the mundane reality of home life. Fraser seems to be asking: what stories do we inherit, and how do they shape our identities? How do we reconcile idealized versions of ourselves with our lived experiences? Fraser’s work invites us to consider how we navigate and negotiate these complex intersections in our own lives.