"Fishboats by the Hills" Colorful Watercolor Landscape by Ryan

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Densely colored watercolor from 1969, signed by Ryan, depicting two fishing boats in a dry dock. The small trawlers are … Read more Densely colored watercolor from 1969, signed by Ryan, depicting two fishing boats in a dry dock. The small trawlers are lifted onto the hardstand regularly so that the submerged parts of the hull can be cleaned or inspected. Two silhouettes of men emerge in the lower right part, essential elements of this scene: fishermen or maintenance workers. More than simple subjects, they are both witnesses and narrators. Their presence underlines the perpetual synergy between man, ocean, and impermanence, a recurring motif in maritime pictorial art. Seagulls stand out against a sky with warm colors, while in the distance, the sea blends with a horizon of mountains and rocks.

The contours are sharp, stark, and dark. They seem to hold tightly to the otherwise fleeting watercolor pigments, demonstrating a keen awareness of structure and form.

Watercolor is often praised for its delicate and ephemeral qualities, its nuanced expression akin to writing on water. Here, the careful depiction of the texture of the wood of the boats and the ground reveals an engagement with materiality and bodily existence, inviting us to think beyond aesthetics. The work plays on oppositions, defying the conventional fluidity of the medium to offer a narrative of profound history and human connection. See less