George Biddle - Catfish Row

Catfish Row

Biddle painted a beautiful image called “Catfish Alley,” (later the name was changed to “Catfish Row” by American Artists Group when they published it). “Catfish Row” is a lithograph image. George Biddle uses many techniques on this painting which makes it more novel and attractive. The painting is in all black and white, the artist uses light and dark shading to give it a three-dimensional feel. The scene captured is of a group of individuals walking, sitting and playing outside their houses. In "Catfish Row" there is nothing about the image that is abnormal or fantasy. Atmospheric perspective is also used: the objects in the background are less detailed and almost blurry compared with the objects in the front of the painting. The overall spacing of the painting is crowded; almost every inch of the painting is used up with an object or person. The scene Biddle painted seems to take place in the evening; all of the adult figures in the image seem tired and ready to settle down for the night. The expressions on the figures' faces are exhausted from a day of work, but they have to keep an eye on the children out at play. The children look lively because it is cool and they get to play after school or working too. All the lines in the painting are choppy, but delicate and placed carefully. Biddle must have used quick strokes or a small tool to make the image look like it had been sandblasted or made on a rough surface.

The scene and the message of the painting are very clear and realistic. Biddle must have painted a scene when he was out traveling the world during hard times for African Americans. “Biddle’s subject, reflecting the interest in portraying aspects of the American scene felt by many artists at this time, is drawn from his 1930 visit to Charleston”. He liked to capture scenes that were of the time and how people saw the world. Most of his paintings, lithographs, and drawings were of real events or portraits. These images told a message about what was going on in the world, whether it was in the US or in another country. The effects and techniques that were used help express the message that Biddle was trying to say about the time period for this culture. “The subjects Biddle depicted included portraits of his family and friends, scenes based on his extensive travels, commentaries on political and national events and reflections on the human condition”.