Fish Heads

Submitted by Nessa February 15th, 2010

I saw this painting at a flea market over the summer. The fellow saw me admiring it and told me his friend brought it back from “Thailand or Indonesia”, he couldn’t remember. He had it marked at $10, and noting my lack of money, offered it for $5. I eventually bought it for $3 bucks… felt a little guilty about it.

I like it.. heads and pots on a pile of fish. It’s painted on canvas stretched over a thin plywood of some sort. The fish and the scarves of the ladies are 3-D, they are painted over some sort of wadded-up tissue paper that is stuck to the board. I can’t make out the signature, can you? S. Something.

Is this kitsch? I’m not sure. A painting of a pile of fish seems kinda kitschy, maybe it’s just bizarre. I don’t know but I’m glad I bought it.

3 Responses to “Fish Heads”

  1. Allee Willis

    I’m in the middle on this one as to whether it can actually be categorized as Kitsch. On the one hand it’s insane that womens’ heads should be rising out of a pile of fish and that paint should be applied over wadded up tissue paper. But on the other hand everything is drawn very proportionately and somewhat realistic and it’s got a really good color scheme. So…..?

  2. Mark Blackwell

    i vote for it to be kitsch…but perhaps i am simply mesmerized by the fish eye at the bottom in the center…for some reason i can’t look at the rest of the painting without fixating on that…