The Mackerel Run - Belfast Harbor
| Artist | Robert Barnes (American, b. 1934) |
|---|---|
| Title | The Mackerel Run - Belfast Harbor |
| Series | The Penobscot |
| Date | 2002 |
| Medium | Casein on paper |
| Dimensions | Image: 18 × 20 1/4 in. (45.7 × 51.4 cm) Sheet: 22 5/16 × 30 in. (56.7 × 76.2 cm) Framed: 28 3/16 × 30 3/16 × 13/16 in. (71.6 × 76.7 × 2.1 cm) |
| Credit Line | Museum purchase with Funds from the Elisabeth P. Myers Art Acquisition Endowment Fund, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 2002.27 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
This colorful image depicts a dark and starry night with a blue-green palette. It features an orange bridge over a harbor in the upper center, a steamboat traversing the water in the foreground, and several individuals fishing on the bridge in the background.
Robert Barnes taught in IU’s fine arts department for thirty-five years before retiring in 1999. Although residing primarily in Bloomington, Indiana; Umbria, Italy; and Searsport, Maine, he is loosely associated with the Chicago Imagists because of his training at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, his figurative subjects, and representation by major Chicago art dealers. Nonetheless, this piece depicts a New England theme.
Recalling the Japonisme aesthetic of Vincent van Gogh, Barnes transforms a beloved fishing tradition of summer in southern Maine into a festival of sparkling lights: reflected off the waves, in the stars in the sky, from the lanterns on the bridge that are mirrored in the dark water, and through the windows of the passing boat. The image also recalls the cycle of life--when the mackerel come in, they are devoured by seals, which, in turn, are eaten by sharks.
| Series Title | The Penobscot |
|---|
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"The Mackerel Run - Belfast Harbor | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2026. https://collections.artmuseum.indiana.edu/browse/object.php?number=2002.27