Beacon Rock, Newport Harbor
John Frederick Kensett1857
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Washington, DC, United States
In the mid-1850s John Frederick Kensett began to turn his attention from scenes of mountains, lakes, and woodland interiors to coastal views such as _Beacon Rock, Newport Harbor_. His work also shifted from the dramatic landscape tradition of Thomas Cole to a quieter, more contemplative style notable for its carefully observed effects of light and atmosphere, muted colors, subtle tonal variations, and simplified compositions. Kensett's experience of Newport, Rhode Island, which he visited numerous times starting in 1854, may have contributed to these changes in style.
Fascinated by Newport's rocky coastline, secluded beaches, and quiet harbors, Kensett painted numerous scenes of that distinctive shoreline where massive rock formations are balanced by open expanses of water. _Beacon Rock, Newport Harbor_ shows a view from the cove across Newport Harbor with the large mass of Beacon Rock on the right and Fort Adams on the left. Sailboats ply the waters, small waves lap the foreground shore, and a lone fisherman stands on a rock at water's edge. The image is remarkable for its indelible sense of calmness, clarity, and quiet. Everyday existence is seemingly transfixed, locked in space by Kensett's carefully structured composition and precise brushwork.
More information on this painting can be found in the Gallery publication _American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I,_ pages 391-394, which is available as a free PDF at <u>https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/american-paintings-19th-century-part-1.pdf</u>
- Title: Beacon Rock, Newport Harbor
- Creator: John Frederick Kensett
- Date Created: 1857
- Physical Dimensions: overall: 57.2 x 91.4 cm (22 1/2 x 36 in.) framed: 85.7 x 119.4 x 10.2 cm (33 3/4 x 47 x 4 in.)
- Provenance: Possibly Jonathan Sturges [1802-1874], New York, and Fairfield, Connecticut;[1] his son, Frederick Sturges [d. 1917], New York, and Fairfield, Connecticut; his son, Frederick Sturges, Jr. [1876-1977], Fairfield, Connecticut; gift 1953 to NGA. [1] According to Frederick Sturges, Jr. (letter of 18 January 1966 in NGA curatorial files), the picture was "painted for my grandfather Jonathan Sturges." Letters of 27 August and 7 December 1981 from Frederick Sturges III (in NGA curatorial files) state that family tradition held that all paintings in the Sturges collection were originally purchased by Jonathan Sturges. In this and four other instances (see Casilear, _View on Lake George_ [1978.6.1]; Durand, _Forest in the Morning Light_ and _A Pastoral Scene_ [1978.6.2 and 1978.6.3]; and Kensett, _Beach at Beverly_ [1978.6.5]) no certain evidence establishes ownership by Jonathan Sturges. No works by Kensett are mentioned in the discussions of the Jonathan Sturges collection in "Our Private Collections, No. II," The Crayon 3, February 1856, 57-58; Thomas S. Cummings, _Historic Annals of the National Academy of Design (1825-1863)_, Philadelphia, 1865: 141 (reprint, New York, 1965); or Henry T. Tuckerman, _Book of the Artists_, New York, 1867: 627 (reprint, New York, 1967). Kensett's account book has an entry in 1857 for a Newport Scene sold for $300, which may refer to the National Gallery painting (letter of 26 July 1965 from Ellen H. Johnson, in NGA curatorial files); however, the name of the purchaser is not listed, making it impossible to verify this assumption.
- Rights: CC0
- Medium: oil on canvas
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