Zes vissers aan de kade c. 1850 - 1900

Eugène Boudin made this print of six fishermen at the quay. Lithography, the printmaking process used here, is rooted in an industrial method of production. The imagery is seemingly worlds away from that context: we see a group of men, presumably local laborers, at rest. The scene may seem tranquil, but the soft gray tonality of the lithograph gives it a somber cast. Boudin was a master of capturing light, but here, the light seems to reveal a world of work and weariness. Consider the labor required to make this image. The artist would have drawn the composition on a lithographic stone. That would be printed, resulting in multiple impressions that could be distributed widely. The men depicted were also engaged in arduous labor to bring food to market. With this print, Boudin connects his own labor with that of these fishermen. This reminds us that all making—whether ‘art’ or ‘craft’ or the most basic industries—is social.