Moonlight on New York Bay

In this painting from 1876, notice the impeccable details that Edward Moran (English-born, American) put into the ship in the foreground, the sails billowing with the ropes attached. If one’s eye follows the ropes to the ship, there is a visible light source that illuminates the face of a person on board. Moran uses tight brushstrokes, which makes it almost impossible to see the hand of the artist, except for the waves that are lit by the moon that is showing through the break in the clouds. The waves that are highlighted by moonlight show thick impasto — a heavy buildup of paint — and give a sense of the rough sailing conditions.

Edward Moran was one of the nineteenth century’s foremost marine artists. He was the brother of Thomas Moran, a better-known painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School who is also represented in the Allis collection.

Moran’s inspiration may lie in the fact that at the age of 15, he and his family (including his brother Thomas) sailed to America and settled in Maryland. This exposure to large ships could have influenced the young Moran greatly. He is best known for his series of 13 paintings representing important epochs in marine history in the United States.

Photography by Kevin Miyazaki.