Dodge MacKnight (Providence, 1860 - 1950, Sandwich, Massachusetts)
The Bay, Belle-Île, 1890
Watercolor on paper , 40.6 x 39.4 cm (16 x 15 1/2 in.)
This approximately square watercolor painting shows a daytime view of a beach in the bay at Belle-Ile, an island off the coast of northern France. The painting is mostly in shades of blue, with bright blue and turquoise water, and dark blue and purple rock outcroppings. Strong brushstrokes give a sense of movement to the water in the bay. In the midground on the viewer’s right is a large outcropping of rocks that jut into the bay. From those rocks, and spanning across the scene from your right to left is a sandy beach with other scattered rock outcroppings. Behind the beach is a multicolored dune, in shades of yellow, pink, and green. A band of turquoise blue denotes the sky in the background. In two locations on the beach are tiny figures of beachgoers. In the corner to your right is the artist’s signature.
Macknight Room
Commentary
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