Pulling in the Nets #1

Pulling in the Nets # 1 by Gifford Beal presents five men tugging and hoisting heavy, large fishing nets, a mundane labor that occurs before and after every fishing excursion. The artist devoted most of the image to the large sweep of the sagging nets, rendered by dense cross-hatching; at the periphery the fishermen try to defy gravity's pull on their burden. Rather than individualize each man, Beal vigorously drew a generalized fisherman type garbed in overalls, a cap, and boots. In order to create the effect of deep shadows on each figure and in the creases of the nets, Beal used etching and drypoint needles to incise the plate with deep lines, which could hold more ink. The black inky shadows thus contrast strongly with the enveloping daylight sky evoked by the unprinted expanses of the paper. The only hint of the fishermen's coastal environment is a single horizontal line at left suggesting the horizon between sea and sunlit sky.

    In the late 1920s, Beal painted and drew aspects of the daily work of fishermen inspired by the activities he observed around Rockport, Massachusetts, where he spent his summers. This print, like The Swordfisherman (TF 1996.76 ), reflects his careful observation of their labors.

The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940 (Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains 1840–1940), Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 15–May 25, 2003; Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 8–August 17, 2003. [exh. cat.]