"Fishermen Drawing Nets"

• What is the title of Walter Battiss' 1955 painting?

  Fishermen Drawing Nets
• What style characterizes Walter Battiss' work?

  Expressionistic
• What medium did Walter Battiss use for his painting 'Fishermen Drawing Nets'?

  Oil painting
• What does the painting 'Fishermen Drawing Nets' depict?

  A naturalistic scene of a group of African people engaged in fishing
• How does Battiss recreate the scene in 'Fishermen Drawing Nets'?

  He recreates it in an expressive style based on his observations
• What is the significance of Battiss' choice of subject matter in 'Fishermen Drawing Nets'?

  It reflects his interest in cultures other than his own
• How does Battiss' painting connect to the San culture?

  It incorporates motifs of San Rock art and represents figures as silhouettes
• What are the formal art elements present in 'Fishermen Drawing Nets'?

  • Imaginative composition based on San Rock art motifs
  • Simplified figures as black schemes
  • Flat area with no depth
  • Bright contrasting colors and loose brushstrokes
  • Rhythmic spread of figures and diagonal curved shapes of nets
• How do the body postures of the figures in 'Fishermen Drawing Nets' contribute to the painting?

  They reflect the movement of their labor
• What technique does Battiss use to represent the figures in his painting?

  He uses large, flat areas of color with little detail
• How does Battiss' interpretation of the figures appear despite their simplification?

  It appears naturalistic and based on experience
• What effect do the contrasting colors have in 'Fishermen Drawing Nets'?

  They create a feeling of three-dimensional depth
• How does Battiss fill the format of the painting?

  He fills it with the busy event without revealing the surrounding background
• In what way does Battiss' work relate to San rock paintings?

  Both depict events without regard to the 'beginning' or 'end' of the format
• What modern art styles influence Battiss' work?

  Modernist tradition and Abstract Expressionism
• What does Battiss' negation of space in his painting signify?

  It reflects the influence of San art and modern art styles