Tag: gorton

In the wake of the 40th Gloucester Schooner Festival, residents and visitors can take in some of that sail history in Cape Ann Museum’s special exhibition “The Briny Deep: Augustus W. Bühler in Gloucester.”

“No other artist did more during the early 20th century to shape the image of the ‘Gloucester Fisherman’ in the popular imagination than Augustus Waldeck Bühler (1852-1920),” the museum said. ‘Working from actual fishermen rather than models, Bühler’s salt-sprayed compositions are at once investigations of a dangerous trade, and thrilling visions of life on the high seas. … This special exhibition illustrates his skill at portraying Gloucester fishermen from the great age of fishing under sail.”

The show is on display in the museum’s Fitz Henry Lane Gallery through Sept. 30.

In addition to works from the museum’s collection, the show includes Bühler’s iconic oil painting, “The Man at the Wheel,” which the artist painted in 1901.

“This dramatic canvas depicts Gloucester fisherman, Captain George Roberts, at the helm of a fishing schooner during heavy weather. The painting was acquired in 1905 by Gorton-Pew Fisheries, which today is known as Gorton’s Seafoods. For more than a century, the painting has served as inspiration for Gorton’s logo,” according to the museum.

Museum Director Oliver Barker said Bühler’s work embodies the physically challenging and often dangerous work associated with offshore fishing industry during the great age of sail.

“We are deeply grateful to Gorton’s Seafoods for lending what has become an icon in the collective creative psyche of both Gloucester and Cape Ann, and delighted to bring into focus the story of Bühler’s life, artistic motivations and work,” Barker said.

Bühler was born in New York City to parents who had fled Prussia due to religious persecution. He received his first art instruction in Worcester, where he lived as a child. During the late 1880s, he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. Prior to going abroad, Bühler and his wife began summering in Gloucester’s Annisquam village where they found themselves part of a busy art colony, according to a bio. By the late 1890s, they moved to Rocky Neck in East Gloucester, “finding an abundance of material to paint and a community of fishermen willing to pose.” For the rest of his career, Bühler made an extensive study of Gloucester fishermen and the fishing industry.

Leon Doucette, curator of the exhibition, said Bühler strove for authenticity, believing it would allow his work to capture the life of fishermen for future generations.

“With Bühler’s works surrounded by those of 19th century American Luminist painter Fitz Henry Lane (1804-1865), the museum offers viewers the opportunity to explore the differences and the similarities between the two artists’ oeuvres, which are separated by a span of nearly four decades,” according to an exhibition statement.

Visitors are encouraged to visit the museum’s Library & Archives to view additional materials related to Bühler’s work.

Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.