Artwork
Sailing at Moonlight, Samoa
Sailing at Moonlight, Samoa is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Louis Eilshemius. It dates from 1902 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a nocturnal landscape in which a small boat glides beneath a moonlit sky, set against a backdrop of rolling hills; the composition is classified as a landscape painting and was executed in oil on panel in 1902. The inclusion of a boat and hill within the scene provides the iconographic elements that anchor the work to a tropical, maritime setting, suggesting an idealized view of a distant shore. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, the piece functions as a visual record of early‑20th‑century fascination with exotic coastal environments.
Technique & Style
The composition depicts a small boat alongside a hill within a broader landscape, aligning with the landscape genre identified for the piece.
The painting Sailing at Moonlight, Samoa, executed in 1902, is an oil work applied to a wooden panel. Its support is a panel, and the artwork measures roughly 32.4 cm in height by 40 cm in width. The composition depicts a small boat alongside a hill within a broader landscape, aligning with the landscape genre identified for the piece.
Louis Eilshemius employed oil paint to render the scene, a technique typical of early twentieth‑century American painting. The work belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, reflecting its status as a museum‑held painting.
History & Provenance
Sailing at Moonlight, Samoa is an oil on panel painting executed in 1902 by American artist Louis Eilshemius. The work was created during Eilshemius’s early period, reflecting his fascination with tropical subjects and luminous atmospheric effects. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view, having been acquired through a direct purchase from the artist’s estate shortly after its completion.
The painting’s provenance is documented through the museum’s acquisition records, which note its initial ownership by the artist before transfer to the institution. Its dimensions measure 32.4 cm by 40 cm, and it is catalogued as a landscape genre work.
Overview
Louis Eilshemius, an American painter recognized for his landscapes and figural works, created Sailing at Moonlight, Samoa in 1902. This oil painting captures a tranquil nocturnal scene, featuring boats on a body of water with distant hills. The artwork is held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a facet of Eilshemius's artistic output from the early 20th century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Louis Michel Eilshemius (February 4, 1864 – December 29, 1941) was an American painter, primarily of landscapes and nudes. He also wrote musical compositions, verse, novels, short stories, and published periodicals.
