Fishermen off the Coast of Labrador by William Bradford

Fishermen off the Coast of Labrador by William Bradford Travel photography Family-friendly: true

Oil on canvas. 52 x 82.5 cm
Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection on loan at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

Like many other mid-19th-century American artists, Bradford was attracted to the unexplored regions of the American continent. In 1861 he made his first trip to the Labrador Peninsula in Canada, following in the footsteps of the painter Frederic Edwin Church.

In 1874 and following a number of years in London, Bradford settled in New York where he produced paintings based on drawings and photographs taken in the Arctic. Fishermen on the Labrador Coast may date from this period due to its precise handling which is close to photography. Although lacking the immediacy of his earlier works, Bradford conveys all the beauty of the northern light reflected on the icebergs and the boats' sails. This very unusual depiction of northern seas reflects a dual artistic and scientific interest on the part of the artist.