Night Fishing 1993

Peter Doig created Night Fishing to explore themes of memory, identity, and the sublime in landscape painting. Doig grew up in Trinidad and Canada, far from traditional European painting locations, which shaped his vision as an artist. His background is key to the emotional depth of this piece. It portrays a dark, abstracted waterscape under a night sky, where the reflections of lights shimmer across the water. The indistinct forms hint at figures in a boat, fishing, possibly a reference to the working classes and labor. Doig has said that his paintings are often about "trying to create something that feels like a memory." Notice how the use of color and light creates an atmosphere that is both alluring and slightly unsettling. This painting is a meditation on personal history, and the way the past intertwines with our present experiences, shaping our perceptions. Doig makes us consider how our sense of self is deeply connected to place.