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The Shadow - Frank Weston Benson - Oil Painting Wall Decor brings gallery-caliber art into everyday spaces. This fine art oil painting is a 100% hand painted oil painting on canvas, created for buyers who want genuine heritage canvas wall art instead of a mass-produced poster or paper print.
1930
Oil on canvas
28.5 x 35.25 in. (72.4 x 89.5 cm.)
In the late 1920s and early 1930s Benson painted extraordinary oil paintings and watercolors that depicted the sport of salmon fishing. In these works the artist combined his brilliant Impressionistic technique with subjects similar to the great Adirondack watercolors of Winslow Homer. An avid outdoorsman and sportsman, Benson was attracted to this rugged subject matter. The Shadow captures the essence of these two qualities-- the painting is infused with careful observation of light, color and atmosphere, and it speaks to the artist's understanding of the peacefulness and tranquility found in the North America Wilderness.
In the sporting subjects that Benson completed after 1900, he retained the Impressionistic style that received wide acclaim earlier in his career. The surface of the canvas of The Shadow is animated with vigorous brushwork. Cool blues and grays are placed side by side to give the effect of early morning light shimmering off the surface of the water.
Of Benson's sporting paintings from this period Bruce Chambers writes: "...the painter shapes his composition in broad, flat patterns; the motif is Winslow Homer's and the underlying aesthetic is still deeply ingrained in the Western tradition, but the effect is astonishingly Oriental." (Frank W. Benson: A Retrospective, New York, 1989, p. 158)
As an Impressionist, Benson was fascinated with atmospheric effects of various times of day. Faith Andrews writes: "Benson loved to paint at dawn. The titles of many works reveal his fascination with the pale light of early morning. In his younger days hunting on the marshes near Salem with his brothers and Dan Henderson, Benson had spent many a chilly hour waiting for the sun to rise and the birds to fly. As a painter the luminous quality of early morning challenged him time and again." (Frank W. Benson: An American Impressionist, New York, 1994, p. 201)
Benson was particularly sensitive to the nuances of a fine composition, regarding it as the most important quality of a painting. He said to his daughter Eleanor: "A picture is merely an experiment in design. If the design is pleasing the picture is good...Few appreciate that what makes them admire a picture is the design made by the painter." (Advice on painting from F.W.B. Notes Taken after Criticism by E.B.L., 22 February 1936, unpublished manuscript) With its refined subject matter and sensitive execution, The Shadow typifies Benson's personal brand of American Impressionism at its best.
This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work being compiled by Vose Galleries of Boston.
The fine art subject is rebuilt stroke by stroke in oil, giving the finished canvas the depth expected of heritage oil painting wall decor.
We use a 100% hand-painted process: stretched artist-grade canvas, layered oil pigment, and a final protective varnish. There are no inkjet prints or mechanical reproductions in this collection — just a painted fine art artwork made to order.
Build a living room gallery wall around this fine art oil painting, or let it stand alone as a single statement. The hand painted canvas finish keeps the fine art composition looking intentional in both classic and contemporary rooms.
Browse our Frank Weston Benson Paintings selection for related fine art canvases, or commission this fine art image in a custom size. Every order is a hand painted oil painting, never a printed poster.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 20 X 24 in | $68.48 |
| 24 X 36 in | $106.48 |
| 30 X 40 in | $146.98 |
| 36 X 48 in | $195.48 |
| 48 X 72 in | $379.98 |
The sizes shown are the reproduction canvas sizes we paint to order. The dimensions given in a work's description refer to the original artwork and will differ from the sizes offered here. Not sure? Read the size guide or e-mail us.
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Every canvas is painted by hand in oils on artist-grade stretched canvas, with an extra blank border left for framing. How to care for your painting.
Measurements are on the size guide, or e-mail [email protected] and we reply within one business day.
