The Lobster Wars
The Lobster Wars
Artist
Bo Bartlett
(born 1955)
Date2007
MediumOil on linen
Dimensions80 x 112 in. (203.2 x 284.5 cm)
Framed: 87 x 119 x 1 3/4 in. (221 x 302.3 x 4.4 cm)
Framed: 87 x 119 x 1 3/4 in. (221 x 302.3 x 4.4 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2007.193
Accession number
2007.193
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextDonning a blood-stained apron and a hat reminiscent of a Viking’s helmet, the fisherman stares purposefully out at the viewer. The simple boat features a red sail with a pirate’s skull and crossbones, and a lobster cage rests in the stern of the vessel. Without depicting a single lobster, the painting speaks to the presence of these animals. In his title, Bo Bartlett alludes to the sometimes violent conflicts that arise among lobster fisherman. For generations, families have squabbled over fishing territories, cutting each other’s lines, encircling boats as a form of intimidation, and on some occasions firing warning shots at rivals. At a moment when lobster prices were falling and tensions among cash-strapped fishermen were on the rise, Bartlett’s playful allusions to pirates and Vikings link these present-day sea farers to historically fierce warriors of the high seas.
