Study of Hawaiian Fish by Hubert Vos was created in 1898. It is an oil on canvas, seventeenth
century style Dutch still-life painting that depicts a elderly Hawaiian fisherman emptying a lauhala
basket filled with bountiful catch of fifty-seven varieties of fish native to Hawaiian waters, carefully
rendered from sketches of fish commonly displayed in the Honolulu Fish market, on a marble slab.1
I propose that this is work is a piece of art Hawaiian art because it portrays the ancient Hawaiian art of
fishing, displays staple native fish that were important to the diet of ancient Hawaiians along with the
ancient art of lauhala basket weaving . The reason why I chose this specific piece of art to write
about is because it caught
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4 Study of Hawaiian Fish also illustrates what
Hawaii was going through during this era. According to Representations: A Very Fishy Painting by
Gregory R. “In Study of Hawaiian Fish, Vos captured his subject - the elderly Hawaiian man, perhaps
the Hawaiian nation itself - in a most difficult moment of transition with the downfall of the Hawaiian
monarchy and annexation to the U.S. Along with the exploitation of Hawaii's resources portrayed with
the sheer amount of fish that can no longer fit inside the simple lauhala basket, contrasted by the
sustainable ancient Hawaiian fishing methods shown with the lauhala basket and fish net.” Hubert
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The painting also prominently shows a lauhala basket. Lauhala basket weaving is a ancient
Hawaiian craft of of weaving dried hala leaves to create floor mats, baskets, clothing, thatching, sails,
and mattresses. It is a art where each Hawaiian family has a distinct lauhala pattern and is mostly done
by women. The craft has been slowly dying out with the older generations not being able to pass down
their knowledge to younger generations, so its portrayal in the painting further conveys the message of
Hawaiian culture slowly fading away. 5
Study Of Hawaiian Fish by Hubert Vos is a important piece of Hawaiian art since the painting
conveys the cultural changes that Hawaii was going through during this era with western culture
bringing, to exploiting Hawaii's resources in contrast with the display ancient Hawaiian fishing
methods that were sustainable, along with Hawaii's dying art and