Photo By Gail

Fishing is an important and enduring practice in Hawaiian people‘s food systems, though shifting factors have forced Hawaiians to supplement to traditional fishing methods with larger-scale commercial efforts. In Fishhook from Hawaii – No. 1  (1939 ) Georgia O’Keefe depicts a fish hook (Makau) – which symbolize this prosperity and connection between humans and water – adorned with the vibrant feathers of local birds.

As with her optical experiments with animal bones in New Mexico, O’Keefe used coiled  fishing line to observe a distorted perspective of the ocean meeting its horizon.

In 1939, the artist  was commissioned by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (which later became Dole) to produce paintings for incorporation into advertisements, although it ultimately did not use her work. Dole was one of many companies that utilized harmful cultivation methods to exploit Hawaii’s natural resources, especially it’s fruit.

Photographed in the Brooklyn Museum.