Sunday Fishermen c. 1935 - 1939

Elizabeth Olds made "Sunday Fishermen," probably in the 1930s, with lithographic ink on paper. This print feels to me like it has emerged through error and intuition; it has a casual yet subtly satirical tone, achieved through the distortion of form and slightly caricatured figures. I can imagine Olds there in the print workshop with her litho crayon, gently shading in the water with these soft, delicate tones. It’s interesting how she's captured that lovely, hazy light of a lazy Sunday afternoon and a sense of the men being really relaxed, as if time has just slowed right down. But the fishermen are a little grotesque, a little off, perhaps an observation by Olds on their leisure pursuits. It feels like a dialogue with other artists working in social realism at the time. This is less political, though, more of a playful, embodied expression, leaving room for doubt and multiple readings.