Surf Fisherman 1946

Paul Whitman made this print of two surf fisherman with lithographic crayon. I can almost feel the rough paper as the crayon moves across it, trying to find the figures in that churning surf. I imagine Whitman thinking about Winslow Homer. It's like he wants to put his characters into the thick of it, close enough that the waves might just knock them over. Those waves look wild, but the sky is surprisingly calm. I imagine Whitman working the lights and darks, trying to capture the ocean's power. I like how this print feels both real and a little dreamlike. It makes me think about all the artists who have looked at the sea and tried to capture its ever-changing moods. Whitman had to commit to every line, and I can almost feel him working through the image, figuring out how to get those waves just right.