Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish
English artist J. M. W. Turner was fascinated by the sea. Here, a crowded fishing boat rides atop rolling, tumultuous waves. A smaller boat occupied by hucksters, or peddlers, navigates the churning waters as it approaches the larger vessel to negotiate the buying of fish to sell back at port. A steamship chugs along in the background, signaling the new industrial age. This painting dates from a period when the artist was increasingly interested in atmospheric drama and the effects of light, exemplified here by the turbulent storm brewing in the background. The sunlit water in the foregroun...
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 174.5 × 224.9 cm (68 3/4 × 88 1/2 in.); Framed: 216.6 × 268 cm (85 1/4 × 105 1/2 in.)
- Origin
- England
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Holding institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image provider
- art-institute-chicago
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
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Landscapes and Waterscapes Both · 99%
Open water and sky dominate the image, while the catalog classifies the subject through landscapes, water, oceans, and seas.
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Nautical Both · 99%
Fishing boats, sails, maritime figures, and a distant steamship are central to the catalog description and clearly visible in the image.
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Atmospheric Landscapes Both · 96%
The image is structured by expansive sky, haze, cloud formations, and changing atmospheric light; the museum explicitly describes Turner's atmospheric drama.
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Movement Both · 95%
Rolling waves, angled sails, and vessels pitching on the water create a strong visual sense of motion, consistent with the catalog's description of tumultuous and churning water.
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Light as Subject Both · 91%
Contrasting illuminated sails, bright foreground water, and darker clouds organize the composition, while the museum specifically discusses Turner's interest in the effects of light.
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References to Art History Metadata · 95%
The museum states that Turner drew on seventeenth-century Dutch marine painting, particularly the work of Willem van de Velde.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil Painting Both · 99%
The museum identifies the medium as oil on canvas, and the image visibly presents a painted canvas work.
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Gestural Both · 94%
The catalog lists gestural among the subjects, and visibly loose, active brushwork describes the waves, clouds, and reflected light.
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Densely Textured or Haptic Surface Both · 90%
The museum describes thick impasto in the sunlit foreground water, whose visibly worked highlights create substantial surface variation.
Time Periods
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19th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated 1837–38 and is cataloged among nineteenth-century works.
Geographic Regions
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British and Irish Art Metadata · 97%
The artist is identified as English and the place of origin is given as England.
Source & rights
Joseph Mallord William Turner. Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish. The Art Institute of Chicago.