Project Description
Maurice Prendergast is considered to be a leading American Post-Impressionist. He is known for his urban landscapes and figures engaged in leisure activities, such as visiting parks and beaches. His training began in Boston before he moved to Paris where he spent three years, and studied at the Académie Julian. After completing school, Prendergast found sanctuary in Massachusetts where he sought the support of his brother. In this drawing he captured a scene of two figures in front of a waterfront house at Marblehead. The beautiful colors remain vibrant throughout the watercolor painting, the lines leading strongly through the piece. According to its written inscription on the back, the house displayed is in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Massachusetts was a source of inspiration for Prendergast and many of his works feature the New England landscape. This painting was a gift of Calvin and Harriet Bright, both of whom were Berea College alumni. The Brights were avid art enthusiasts and spent much of their lives doing missionary work in China and collecting art from around the world.
-Charla Hamilton, Class of 2015