Public computers and Wi-Fi at the Waldo Branch will be unavailable for patron use Dec. 7th through Dec. 9th due to technology upgrades.
The Fisher Boy
Alexander Harrison was an expatriate American painter who favored marine scenes of leisure and work life. He includes both in this painting of a young fisherman taking a break from the work that supplied the catch of fish at his feet. He leans against the wall behind him and hangs with one hand from a loop screw above in order to create a headrest with his arm. He appears dazed with eyes wide but focusing on nothing in particular. He balances a circular fishing device between his feet, one of which he's pulled out of his shoe to reveal a tattered sock. The device serves to frame his worn sock and trousers, drawing our attention to his poverty (-figgeartmuseum.org). Harrison depicts the boy's posture so effortlessly it is immediately familiar, allowing the viewer to further imagine his experience of waiting and wishing. The entire composition is rendered with a soft texture and color palette, appearing dreamlike, although conveying a heavier reality.