»Fishing Party« by Fitz Hugh Lane

Inspired by his trip to the coast of Maine, USA, the American artist and lithographer Fitz Hugh Lane (1804–1865) – aka Fitz Henry Lane – created the full moon painting »Fishing Party«, in 1855. He was a representative of the American luminism, a painting style characterized by a specific form of light-flooded landscapes in the 19th century (lumen = lat. light).

Fitz Hugh Lane grew up in Gloucester, Massachusetts, was initally trained and also worked in a lithography studio in Boston, where he encountered other artists, like Robert Salmon (1775–1848) for example, and hence found his way to painting. His most important motifs were coastlines and ships, which were submerged in magic light effects.

The painting »Fishing Party« is something special insofar, as it depicts a nightly scenery. You can see the bay of Indian Bar, close to Castine, Maine, with boats and some people that are out fishing, preparing their catch on the campfire or taking a walk in the moonlight. Lane had already painted this scenery at daylight, with a picture called »View of Indian Bar Cove« (approx. 1850), and has created the perfect full moon atmosphere here. The reflections of the moonlight on the water’s surface have been masterfully recaptured indeed. You easily start dreaming …