RSA Scottish Art
The Summer-Moon, Bait Gatherers
 | Artist: Charles Lees |
| Title: The Summer-Moon, Bait Gatherers | |
| Year: 1858 | |
| Medium: oil on canvas | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: | |
| Source: RSA Diploma Collection | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| Description: Charles Lees was well known for painting portraits, historical and sporting scenes. This painting, The Summer Moon, Bait Gatherers, is unusual because it is painted as an evening scene, or nocturne. The treatment of the subject matter and the context it is placed in is Romantic. The landscape is probably on the East Coast and the women and children are occupying themselves digging up bait to be used by the fishermen. Although this is a backbreaking task, there is a sense of peace and calm flowing throughout the scene.The artist's use of tone quietly dominates the painting through the use of soft reflected light from the moon. The moon is a central feature in the lives of fisher-folk, because it rules the motion of the tides and therefore their livelihood. The waves are gentle and rolling, contributing to the feeling of harmony between man and nature. Although the painting is almost photographic in its meticulous attention to detail, we do not see the features of the figures - their relationship to nature is more important than their individuality. | |
Find us on