Artwork
Sundown at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire
Sundown at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire is a gouache work on paper by the Hudson River School artist William Trost Richards. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Sundown at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire depicts a coastal landscape at twilight, centering on the harbor of Centre Harbor along the New Hampshire shoreline.
Sundown at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire depicts a coastal landscape at twilight, centering on the harbor of Centre Harbor along the New Hampshire shoreline. The composition records the meeting of sea and coast beneath a sky filled with clouds and framed by trees, capturing the atmospheric conditions of a setting sun. As a landscape work, the painting belongs to Richards's body of scenery studies that translated observed natural phenomena, light, weather, and topography, into carefully observed watercolors.
The focus on the harbor, sky, and surrounding trees reflects Richards's interest in the precise rendering of place and the transient effects of sunset light over the New England coast.
Technique & Style
Created in 1874, Sundown at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire is executed on gray-green wove paper using a mixed-media approach. William Trost Richards employed watercolor and gouache paints alongside graphite for the composition. The work measures 22.5 by 34.6 centimeters and functions as a landscape depicting the coast, sea, sky, clouds, and trees of Centre Harbor.
The combination of transparent watercolor with opaque gouache allows for varied textural effects within the seascape and sky, while the graphite provides structural definition. The support, a gray-green wove paper, contributes to the overall tonal atmosphere of the piece.
History & Provenance
The work titled Sundown at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire was created in 1874 by William Trost Richards using watercolor, gouache, and graphite on gray-green wove paper. It portrays the coastal village of Centre Harbor, New Hampshire, with attention to sky, sea, clouds, and surrounding trees. The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, catalogued as a landscape in The American Wing, with dimensions of 22.5 cm by 34.6 cm. No evidence of a specific commission or prior private ownership is recorded.
Overview
William Trost Richards rendered Sundown at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire in 1874. This landscape, executed in watercolor, gouache, and graphite on gray-green wove paper, captures a serene moment at Centre Harbor. The artwork is part of The American Wing, reflecting American landscape painting traditions of its era.
Artist & collection
