Fish, Skate and Dogfish 1873

Eugène Boudin captured this still life with oil on canvas, a somber collection of fish, skate, and dogfish laid out before us. These aren't merely objects, but symbols, especially the fish. In Christian iconography, the fish is a symbol of abundance and faith, seen in early catacomb paintings as the 'ichthys,' representing Jesus Christ. But here, stripped of its vibrant life and religious context, the fish evokes a sense of mortality, echoing images of death and sacrifice found throughout art history. Consider the memento mori tradition, where skulls and decaying fruit remind us of life's transience. Boudin’s fish, drained of color and vitality, taps into this collective consciousness, stirring primal emotions of loss and decay. It's a visceral reminder of our own fleeting existence, triggering a deep, subconscious contemplation. These motifs, ever-evolving, persist through time, reborn in each artist's vision. The image of the fish, once a symbol of hope, now confronts us with the inescapable cycle of life and death, a continuous thread weaving through the tapestry of human experience.