#mmoca

Sergio Gonzalez-Tornero (Chile, 1927–2020)

Fish, 1973

Aquatint with embossing, 23 3/4" x 17 3/4"

MMOCA

“Sergio Gonzalez-Tornero has created a haunting image of an extraordinary fish as it floats in the depths of the sea. The fish appears to glow from within, with its red eyes, pink mouth, and yellow- and white-tipped appendages. Its large teeth, and pointed fins and protuberances, suggest that it might be a fierce predator or, conversely, a vulnerable animal that uses its spines and teeth for defense and protection. There are no clues as to its size; nothing else but the blue of the ocean is in view.

Gonzalez-Tornero has positioned this curious creature so that we experience her head-on and eye-to-eye. We can imagine that we are scientists exploring the deep ocean and encountering this wondrous fish, each studying the other for the first time. There is an intense and arresting stillness in this image, even as the artist’s use of brilliant color, bold shapes, and strong contrast conveys life and energy. Below the image, the word “FISH” is pressed into the paper in embossed upper-case letters.

Although this fish might seem other-worldly, it is an image of an anglerfish. The anglerfish is an ancient family of saltwater fishes, having evolved more than 100 million years ago. Its name is derived from a fleshy tentacle, a modified dorsal fin spine that protrudes from its forehead and is used to lure the fish and crustaceans that are its prey, much like a human “angler” uses a fishing pole. Female anglerfish have evolved the ability to emit light through bioluminescence to further aid in their efforts to find food; the females of some species also use bioluminescence to attract a mate. Millions of bacteria living in symbiotic relationship with the anglerfish produce the characteristic glow of these species. This adaptation along with other physical characteristics allow anglerfish to survive in a very challenging environment. Species that live in the deep ocean experience temperatures below 40 degrees, little if any light, and enormous water pressure bearing down on their bodies.

Food is scarce in the deep ocean, so anglerfish conserve energy by limiting their body movements; they often drift motionless with their mouths open, ready to snap their sharp, transparent teeth onto unsuspecting prey attracted by the glow and movement of their lure. Their skin has the ability to absorb light, making the fish invisible in the darkness of the ocean.

Sergio Gonzalez-Tornero’s imaginative portrayal of this remarkable fish allows us to contemplate the amazing adaptations that animals have evolved to thrive in their habitats. Through evolutionary processes, animals such as the anglerfish have developed specialized abilities, including interdependent relationships with other life forms, that have allowed them to survive over millennia.