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Now available in bookstores:
Rocky Neck Art Colony 1850–1950
written by Judith A. Curtis, designed by Stephen
Bridges
Cradle of painters, poets and visionaries, Gloucester, Massachusetts,
has played a vital role in the nation’s art history since
the mid-1800s. For more than a century, beginning with marine artist
Fitz Henry Lane, this bustling seaport—the oldest working
harbor in the nation—has inspired myriad creative souls.
The harbor, coupled with Cape Ann’s unique luminescent glow
and rugged topography, offered everything the plein air painter
could possibly want. In addition, the dichotomy between the hardy
fishermen and the genteel summer visitors of East Gloucester resulted
in the artists banding together to form their own sense
of community. So was born the Rocky Neck Art Colony.
 Over the years—beginning
with Lane’s Gloucester Harbor from Rocky Neck in 1844, through
Winslow Homer’s first visit in 1873, the arrival of Frank
Duveneck and his friends and followers, and the presence of the
New York contingent headed by John Sloan and Stuart Davis—Gloucester’s
Rocky Neck evolved into a microcosm of American art that has never
been surpassed. This book offers an in-depth look at America’s
oldest working art colony with over 130 fine art reproductions
from the artists who painted there.
Judith A. Curtis is a freelance writer specializing in art-related
themes. Ms. Curtis lives on Cape Ann, and is a regular contributor
to the American Art Review. She has also written several books,
including Anthony Thieme, The Life and Art of Paul Strisik, N.
A., W. Lester Stevens, N. A., (1888-1969), and Harry A. Vincent
and His Contemporaries.
The story of Rocky Neck is the story of the dichotomy of Gloucester:
a working class town, where hardy fisherman rubbed shoulders with
bohemians, and each group accepted the other without rancor. In
many cases, the fishermen of the Gloucester fleet provided a constant
source of subject matter for the artists, who loved nothing more
than capturing the light and heart of Gloucester through the expert
use of color, brush, and canvas.
Click to order from Amazon.com |
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