Massachusetts Art History
with an emphasis on representational art
Other online information
(above: Charles Webster Hawthorne, The Family, 1915, oil on canvas laid down on panel by the artist, 48 by 56 inches, Sothebys. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
Artists from Massachusetts in Wikipedia. Accessed August, 2015.
"Artists of This Vicinity" is a two part essay by Mrs. Elwyn G. Campbell. The Millicent Library says it was "...presented at the Roundabout Club in 1921 and at the Fairhaven Colonial Club in 1922.." Accessed 5/22
Biala: Provincetown Summers is a 2018 exhibit at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum which says: "This historic exhibition is the first of its kind to focus entirely on Biala's work which was created or inspired by her summers in Provincetown and on the Cape." Accessed 9/18
Boston School - sample of historic artists from askArt. Accessed August, 2015.
Brian Kaplan: Not Your Vacation was a 2014 exhibit at the Danforth Museum of Art, which said: "Brian Kaplan's work is part of an extensive project documenting space and place on Cape Cod in the off-season. The idea of the Cape as an idyllic tourist destination is challenged by Kaplan's stark views of shuttered motels and abandoned detritus. Piles of televisions, rows of lamps, and discarded fireworks take on a life of their own as they represent the transient nature of leisure time as well as the often invisible industry that makes such escapes possible." See artist images in Lenscratch 7/11/13 article.
Cape Ann Museum has online .pdf files for gallery guides of selected past exhibitions including:
(above: Jonas Lie, Harbor Sails, oil on panel, 8.2 x 9.7 inches, Heritage Auctions, Dallas. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
Copley Society of Art website which says: "The Copley Society of Art, Co|So, is the oldest non-profit art association in the United States, with a history dating back to 1879." Accessed August, 2015.
Donald Stoltenberg: Building His World is a 2022 exhibit at the Cape Cod Museum of Art which says: "Influenced by Paul Cezanne and his Bauhaus education in Chicago, Stoltenberg emphasized the geometric and abstract foundations of manmade structures. He beautifully painted the facets of light that stream through architectural forms. The sharp angles and prismatic transparencies that illuminate his art produce dramatic effects and a sense of movement." Accessed 9/22
Edith Lake Wilkinson is a 2022 exhibit at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum which says: "Edith Lake Wilkinson was an early white-line printmaker, based out of New York City and Provincetown." Also see the website for this artist. Accessed 9/22
Exquisite Shells: The Art of Sailors Valentines is a 2019 exhibit at the Cahoon Museum of American Art which says: "Together between 1977 and 1982, Ralph Cahoon (1910-1982) and Bernard Woodman (1920-1986) created dozens of delicate and charming sailors valentines, combining Bernie's beautiful shellwork with Ralph's whimsical, nautical fantasies. In one piece, a sailor and a mermaid dance by the sea, encircled by floral rosettes." Also see Anna Marlis Burgard's 2/14/19 article in Atlas Obscura Accessed 9/19
Folly Cove Designers from Wikipedia. Accessed August, 2015.
Four Winds: The Arts and Letters of Rocky Neck in the 1950's was an exhibit held June 15, 2013 - Sept. 29, 2013 at the Cape Ann Museum. CAM says: "Featuring work from artists such as Albert Alcalay, Doris Hall, Vera Andrus and others, along with literary contributions from Vincent Ferrini, Four Winds captures the ethos of the Rocky Neck art scene during the 1950's." The CAM posting includes links to the press release and gallery guide. Accessed August, 2016.
Harold Rotenberg: An American Impressionist is a 2018 exhibit at the Cape Ann Museum which says: "This exhibition explores the long and much acclaimed career of artist Harold Rotenberg (19052011). A native of Attleboro, Massachusetts, a prominent member of the Rockport and Cape Ann Art Colony, and a world-wide traveler, Rotenberg's work displays a richness in color and vibrancy of brush stroke that evokes the work of the great Impressionists." Also see press release Accessed 5/18
John Sloan Gloucester Days was an exhibit held July 11, 2015 - Nov. 29, 2015 at the Cape Ann Museum. CAM says: "...John Sloan (1871-1951) spent five summers -- 1914 through 1918 -- living and working on Cape Ann. During that time he created nearly 300 finished oil paintings, using Gloucester's rugged landscape as a backdrop to experiment with color and explore ideas about form, texture and light." Accessed August, 2016.
Lowell Art Association from AskArt.com. Accessed August, 2015.
Massachusetts (sampling of artists and works connected to state) from askArt. Accessed August, 2015.
(above: Frederick J. Mulhaupt, An East Gloucester Wharf, c. 1926, oil on canvas, Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
Massachusetts Massachusetts Art Colonies: 1840-1940 is a 2025 article by Gemini AI which says: "In the century between 1840 and 1940, a powerful artistic evolution took place not in the formal academies of Boston, but in the rustic, light-filled enclaves scattered across the Massachusetts landscape. As the nation industrialized, artists sought both new subjects and a respite from urban life, finding inspiration in the state's rugged coastlines, idyllic islands, and rolling inland hills. Following the lead of European painters who had formed creative communities in places like Barbizon, American artists established their own colonies. -- havens of conviviality and shared aesthetic purpose. In Massachusetts, these sanctuaries became crucibles for new styles and sensibilities, from the quiet contemplation of the landscape to the vibrant dynamism of American Impressionism.
Fueled by an expanding railroad network that made remote locales accessible and a growing class of patrons with the leisure to appreciate art, these colonies flourished. On Cape Ann, in Provincetown, on Nantucket, and in the Berkshires, artists gathered to form communities dedicated to a common goal: the pursuit of beauty. Though their styles varied, they were united by a desire to capture the unique character of the New England landscape and the virtues of its people. They created an art that was overwhelmingly positive, an art meant to celebrate the sublime power of nature, find dignity in everyday life, and ultimately, to lift the human spirit." Accessed 7/25
Massachusetts Art History: 1840-1940 is a 2025 article by Gemini AI which says: "The century from 1840 to 1940 witnessed a profound transformation in the styles and subjects of artistic expression in Massachusetts. The narrative arc travels from the stern, moralizing classicism of the mid-19th-century sculptors to the intimate, light-filled idealism of the Boston School painters. Yet, despite the dramatic shifts in technique-from chisel to brush, from marble to canvas, from the rigid lines of Neoclassicism to the broken brushwork of Impressionism-the core artistic mission within the Commonwealth remained remarkably consistent.
The unifying thread that connects the heroic monuments
of Thomas Ball and Martin Milmore to the atmospheric landscapes of William
Morris Hunt and the sunlit family portraits of Frank W. Benson is a deeply
ingrained belief in the power of art to ennoble, inspire, and improve. These
Massachusetts artists, products of a unique cultural environment, shared
a common purpose. Whether through a monument celebrating the virtues of
civic duty and sacrifice, a landscape evoking a sense of spiritual respite
and harmony with nature, or a domestic scene radiating the quiet virtues
of family and culture, they dedicated their talents to creating what Daniel
Chester French's legacy so aptly describes as a "heritage of beauty". This
unwavering commitment to an art of idealism, an art designed to lift the
human spirit and reaffirm the positive virtues of society, stands as the
state's unique and enduring contribution to the broader story of American
art." Accessed 7/25
Massachusetts State House - from State of Massachusetts, Accessed August, 2015.
Masterfully Human: The Art of Gaugengigl is a 2018 exhibit at the Flagler Museum which says: "The Bavarian-born Gaugengigl created beautifully painted depictions of everyday life, often set in revolutionary-era France, that convey timeless themes such as honor, friendship, love, and beauty. His intimate and evocative works were sought after by Boston area collectors." Accessed 2/19
The Nantucket Art Colony, 1920-45, a collaborative exhibition presented by the Nantucket Historical Association and the Artists Association of Nantucket. Accessed August, 2015.
Nonquitt Art Colony from Millicent Library, Fairhaven, MA
Provincetown Art Colony from Provincetown Art Association and Museum. Accessed August, 2015.
Philip Malicoat: Large Works is a 2022 exhibit at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum which says: "Philip Malicoat was part of a large family of Provincetown artists spanning multiple generations dating back to the early 1900s. Considered the family's patriarch, Philip Cecil Malicoat was a child of farmers with little exposure to the arts, first in Oklahoma, then in Indiana, before coming to Provincetown in 1929 to study with Charles Hawthorne. Malicoat went on to build a life in Provincetown, meeting his wife, the artist Barbara Haven Brown, and together raising two children, Martha and Conrad, both of whom became accomplished artists." Accessed 9/22
Provincetown Artist Registry is a directory of artists who worked in Provincetown, MA. Accessed August, 2015.
Rock Bound: Painting the American Scene on Cape Ann and Along the Shore is a 2017 exhibit at the Cape Ann Museum which says: "With paintings drawn from private collections and the Museum's own holdings, Rock Bound will explore the ways in which an array of artists of the early 20th century sought to capture the natural beauty of the area, the power of the ocean and the hardscrabble way of life that was quickly disappearing in other areas. The exhibit will also consider how artists placed local populations and traditions in their context, whether it was carpenters working in the shipyards of Essex, women and children relaxing on wide sandy beaches, or fishermen and quarrymen pursuing their timeless and dangerous ways of life." Accessed 8/17
Rocky Neck Art Colony website covering the historic art colony in Gloucester, MA. Accessed August, 2015.
Salvatore Del Deo: A Storied History is a 2017 exhibit at the Cape Cod Museum of Art which says: " A student of Provincetown impressionist Henry Hensche, Del Deo's plein air paintings capture the light, water, and sky with a rich color palette. In a style that ranges from the realistic to the abstract, Del Deo has painted all the familiar scenes of his life at land's end -- from the sea and sky to the boats and fishermen." Also see 8/24/17 article in The Barnstable Patriot - To read more after exhibit closes, go to "Past Exhibitions" section of museum website. Accessed 9/17
Salvatore Del Deo: 75 Years in Provincetown is a 2023 exhibit at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum which says: "This exhibition will be a celebration of Del Deo's life and artistic career, featuring portraits, studio work, and the Italian landscapes celebrating his heritage, Provincetown landscapes, and reaffirm his status as a significant contributor to the legacy of the Provincetown Art Colony and to American art history." Accessed 1/24
St. Botolph Club website, which says:"The St. Botolph Club was founded in 1880, a golden period in Boston, a time when art, literature, music, architecture, clubs and public affairs were all in bloom." Accessed August, 2015.
Tom and T. M. Nicholas: A Father and Son's Journey in Paint is a 2020 exhibit at the Cape Ann Museum which says: "Working with the Nicholas family of Rockport, Massachusetts, this exhibition explores the 40-year journey Tom and T. M. Nicholas have made together -- as artists and as father and son. Works from numerous private collections will be showcased and a catalog will be available. Programming will feature gallery talks by T. M. Nicholas and Judith Curtis, as well as a lecture exploring the Cape Ann School of Painting. Also see website of artist. Accessed 10/20
Vincent, Weaver, Gorvett: Gloucester, Three Visions was an exhibit held Oct. 24, 2015 - March 26, 2016 at the Cape Ann Museum. CAM says: "An exhibition of artwork by Jeff Weaver, Don Gorvett, and the late Peter Vincent that explores how one place -- Gloucester -- inspired the artistic output of three of the region's most talented and dynamic artists.... A passion for art and youthful enthusiasm were the common threads that ran through their lives and for each artist, Gloucester's hardscrabble working waterfront with its long and colorful history was the attraction." Accessed August, 2016.
Window on the Marsh is a 2022 exhibit at the Cape Ann Museum which says: "As part of a community-wide initiative celebrating the beauty and ecological importance of the Great Marsh, the Cape Ann Museum will present a spotlight exhibition of work of painters Martin Johnson Heade and Fitz Henry Lane, and photographer Martha Hale Harvey. Working over a century ago in different mediums, at different times and with differing approaches, each artist captured the timeless beauty of the Great Marsh in artwork that continues to inspire viewers today." Accessed 6/22
Women Artists in the Back Bay from The Boston Women's Heritage Trail. Accessed August, 2015.
(above: Gifford Beal, Rockport Harbor, c. early 1950s, oil on canvas, Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
Boston Athenaeum partnered with the WGBH Forum Network for a series of lectures, including several on American art. Titles
include:
The WGBH/Boston
Forum Network is an audio and video streaming web site dedicated to
curating and serving live and on-demand lectures, including a number of
videos on Art and Architecture. Partners include a number of museums, colleges,
universities and other cultural organizations. See listings of related videos
in this catalogue indexed by partner name. Museum
of Fine Arts, Boston partnered with the WGBH Forum Network for Picturing
Boston: Painting the Town, 42 minutes) a lecture by Erica Hirshler,
senior curator, Museum of Fine Arts, who uses images from the MFA's collection
to explore how artists represented Boston and its inhabitants throughout
its history. [April 13, 2003] Accessed May, 2015.
(above: Frederick J. Waugh, Southwesterly Gale, St. Ives, 1907, oil on canvas, 30.1 x 50.1 inches, Smithsonian American Art Museum. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
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