Along Side

The local fishing fleet was a big attraction for artists living in the coastal town of Provincetown, Mass., in the 1910s and 1920s. For Tod Lindenmuth, there was no other subject: boats and fishermen figured in nearly every print he made. His house was just steps from the Atlantic Ocean, so he could observe comings and goings on the water even at night. Within the Provincetown art colony Lindenmuth was among the first to print from linoleum blocks instead of wood, enabling him to achieve the kind of pure, dense color we see in Along Side. This is especially effective in the lighted window and its reflection in the water. His layering of color mirrors the sense of our eyes adjusting to the darkness. For example, the silhouetted figures and dinghy appear very dark, but on closer inspection are rimmed in the lighter blue used for the sails and rigging beyond.