Anton Otto Fischer & Moby Dick
Don't Go In The Water
I’ve never been terribly interested in the sea.
And by sea, I guess I mean just water tales or sea faring history in general; sea, as in, oceans, lakes… you get the idea.
This is a puzzling revelation to many when they learn I grew up in the backyard of Niagara Falls and currently live only 40 minutes from the ocean. Plus, New England, with its chowder and lobsters and tea parties and light houses is a veritable playground for those who enjoy the deep blue depths.
Me? I prefer going inland. All that open sky is too intimidating. I like my horizons to be within reach and hidden by trees or mountains or rocks!
There’s one exception. I’ve written about this exception in these pages before and you can have a look at that here: The White Whale Still Calls
The great Moby Dick came to mind again the other day as I happened upon an illustration that I recall as the cover of an old copy of the greatest American novel ever written. I’ve seen that cover many, many times and you can see it above, but never thought to go any deeper. So, today I did!
And it turns out Anton Otto Fischer was the famed illustrator of several classic releases published in the 1930s and 40s. Besides Moby Dick, he also illustrated Treasure Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
German born, he ran away from his orphanage as a teenager and came to America on a German vessel, spending the next few years - much like Melville himself - serving as a deck hand aboard American ships.
This explains a lot about his style, when in later years he became an illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post. Starting in 1910, he worked for nearly 50 years at the Post, publishing over a thousand illustrations. Many of them were of his favorite subject. You guessed it… the sea.
His art is cinematic and explodes with colors, the water is never still and often angry or dangerous looking. The seamen in his illustration are nearly always battling the elements, just hanging on for dear life, being battered and tossed about.
On of my favorites, below, shows Moby Dick breaching the water in a famous and harrowing scene from the book. Look at the movement. Can you feel it, taste the salt? Does your heart beat a little faster when you look at it? Mine does!
Anton lived into the late 1960s, working out of a studio in the New York Catskills where he finally passed away. He was a worthy illustrator for such a book, matching the intensity and terror.
I must say, however, maybe I like him so much because his water work solidifies everything I feel about the vast deep blue - it’s best to just gaze upon it from the shore!
I've always been drawn to the mountains and the sea, althoough, like you, I prefer to look at the sea when I'm standing on solid ground.
I myself have always been more drawn to the mountains. Growing up in Massachusetts I saw the sea all the time, especially since I went to Church in Plymouth and saw the Mayflower sitting at bay often. The mountains though were a real mystery and beauty to me and since I moved up to New Hampshire and now Vermont I just can't get enough of them. I live up on the side of a mountain and the views I see coming down from my home are spectacular and I wouldn't trade them for anything, except maybe more mountains!