The Landing
Artist
Frank Weston Benson
(American, 1862-1951)
Date1904
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 36 7/8 x 41 7/8 in. (93.7 x 106.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 36 7/8 x 41 7/8 in. (93.7 x 106.4 cm)
ClassificationsAmerican art
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.618
Terms
- Boats
- Water
- Blue
Collections
On View
Not on viewLabel TextFrank Benson American (1862-1951) The Landing, 1904 Oil on canvas Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.618 Frank Benson's vibrant, light-soaked scenes from his family's vacations on the coast of Maine are among the best-loved works by members of The Ten American Painters, an elite group of native artists who studied in Paris and returned to promote a distinctly American version of Impressionism. The Landing, with its complex, asymmetrical design and remarkably free, form-dissolving brush technique, is one of Benson's most imaginative compositions. The painting depicts the choppy waters of Penobscot Bay on a breezy summer day; the two girls poised on the floating platform at the end of the dock are probably the artist's daughters, Elisabeth and Sylvia. According to one reviewer, Benson's paintings evoked "a holiday world in which nothing ugly or harsh enters, but all the elements combine to produce an impression of the natural joy of living." The Landing was sold to Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., as Annisquam Yacht Club. Recent research has uncovered the painting's original title, actual setting, and exhibition history. It was singled out for special praise when The Ten celebrated their tenth anniversary with a 1908 exhibition in Philadelphia.
