Paul Cadmus

Paul Cadmus produced the present work during an extended stay in the Mallorcan fishing village of Puerto de Andraitx. In 1931, he traveled to France and Spain with his partner and fellow artist Jared French, where Cadmus became particularly drawn to scenes of fishermen. According to Lincoln Kirstein, author of the monograph Paul Cadmus, the theme of “masculine comradeship” prevails in this painting (Lincoln Kirstein, Paul Cadmus, New York, 1984, p. 16). Two central figures playfully wrestle one another, while the remaining crewmen observe and converse. Cadmus effectively captures a moment of leisure and highlights the sense of comradery enjoyed aboard the vessel.

Cadmus utilized only himself and French as models to create this dynamic arrangement of figures (ibid). The ability to construct such a multifaceted composition from just two models speaks to the artist’s mastery of human form. In fact, Cadmus was deeply inspired by Italian Renaissance techniques and his study of Renaissance musculature greatly informs his approach to painting. He adopts a relatively warm and monochromatic palette for this work and yet the subtle shading of each figure generates an impressive sense of depth. Mallorcan Fishermen ultimately explores the intimacy and comradery shared between these men, thereby signaling the artist’s interest in imbedding emotional complexity into his subjects.