Montauk, Long Island

Artist Howard Dwight Beach (1867 - 1954)

Date1920

MediumOil on board

Dimensions12 x 16 in.

ClassificationsOil Painting

Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Justus S. Beach

Object number2003.68

DescriptionWhile Beach spent most of his career studying and practicing photography as well as inventing new photographic processes and tools. He was also a skilled painter. This work, while reminiscent of Impressionist works like Monet's series of the rocks at Belle-Ile in France, is less concentrated on light and more on the blending of color. The rocks unexpectedly contain touches of pink, and the water touches of green and yellow. The heavy impasto created by many individual touches of paint creates a glistening surface that further highlights Beach's color choices. However, like many Impressionist painters, Beach does flatten the overall composition; instead of striving to create any sense of perspective he leads the eye to the center of the foreground, when usually an artist wants to lead the eye back into the scene.

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