The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 30, 2026

A horizontally oriented print in brown ink on beige paper depicts a misty shoreline. On the left, two dark, silhouetted figures gaze over still water. To the right, a fishing boat with a tall, diagonal mast rests near the bank, its form reflected below. Dense, hatched lines create deep shadows in the foreground, while fine, grainy marks suggest a hazy, empty sky. Handwritten numbers and a signature appear in the lower margins.

Fishing Boat on the Waterside

c. 1900

Francis Picabia

(French, 1879–1953)
France
Etching with drypoint
Image: 16.8 x 24.8 cm (6 5/8 x 9 3/4 in.)
Karl B. Goldfield Trust 2024.40
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Alongside his visual art, Picabia wrote about art, and explored media including filmmaking, publishing, and poetry, among others.

Description

Boat on the Water’s Edge dates to Francis Picabia’s early years, created during a period when he remained interested in Parisian vanguard trends, such as Post-Impressionism. Like many artists in this milieu who influenced him—namely Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley—Picabia focused on landscape and on translating the effects of weather upon it. Also similar to some artists within this circle, Picabia explored etching at this time. The medium had experienced a revival of interest several decades before and was preferred at the time for its immediacy, which closely resembled the directness of drawing.
  • {{cite web|title=Fishing Boat on the Waterside|url=false|author=Francis Picabia|year=c. 1900|access-date=30 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.40