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Fisher Folk at their Boats

Geikie, Walter, Oil on panel
Fisher Folk at their Boats
Fisher Folk at their Boats
Fisher Folk at their Boats
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Category
Museums & Galleries Item
Item no
31577
Title
Fisher Folk at their Boats
Description
Geikie most often portrayed local fishing communities in highly-detailed but monochromatic drawings and etchings. This oil painting captures an unusually vibrant impression of life on the coast. The men and women settled on the beach wear garments in a variety of strong colours, and the subtle tones of the sky recall either early morning or evening.

Several contemporary sources suggest that Geikie was colour blind, which might account for the relative scarcity of such works. In 1837 his obituary in the Edinburgh Evening Courant stated that "owing to a natural defect, his eye was not equally sensible of the beauties of tone and colour".

Geikie's biographer Thomas Dick Lauder also proposes that this was a problem, adding that he was given special private tuition in colouring while training at the Trustees' Academy.
Artist / maker
Type
Oil on panel
Location
City Art Centre