Label Text:
This serene coastal view by Fairfield Porter likely depicts Great Spruce Island in Penobscot Bay (off the coast of Maine), a long-time retreat for the artist’s family. The composition showcases Porter’s restrained painterly realism, which represented a sophisticated synthesis of Old Master techniques and abstract painting of the mid-20th century. Boathouses and Lobster Pots features large, bold passages of generally flat color, such as the pinkish-white sky and the expanse of pungent ochre landscape. Porter’s slightly non-naturalistic palette perpetually calls attention to the paint’s material presence on the surface of the canvas. Because this composition lacks human figures (which often appear in Porter’s paintings), its abstract qualities are especially pronounced. The Museum’s acquisition of this painting was precipitated by Porter’s tenure as Amherst’s artist-in-residence during the 1969–1970 academic year, during which he taught classes, led critiques, and painted views of campus.
RRG, 2009
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1974.14 |
