On Grand River

By the 1920s, Benson increasingly turned to subjects rooted in nature and often featuring wildlife, a result of his interest in hunting and fishing. This grand-scale painting depicts a lone boatman navigating across shallow, sun dappled waters with the aid of a pole or oar. The water is activated with energetic, impressionistic brushwork. The artist once claimed, “I follow the light, where it comes from and where it goes.”