Frank W. Benson: North Haven

"A Rainy Day" by Frank W. Benson

"The setting for most of Benson's best-known outdoor works was the island of North Haven in Maine's Penobscot Bay. The Bensons first rented the old farmhouse on Crabtree Point in 1901. They bought it five years later. It was here at Wooster Farm, that he created most of the sparkling outdoor canvases of his family that won him such favor with contemporary (and modern-day) collectors. His daughters, dressed in white and posed on windswept hillsides became evocations of the quintessential 'American Girl.'

North Haven also provided Benson with wide vistas of water and blue hills beyond, scenes of eagles swirling above storm-tossed seas, fishermen pulling in heavy nets, and sailing dories scudding before brisk winds. It was a rich environment for a painter. He captured his summer world in oils and watercolor, etching and wash drawing.

But Maine is as famous for its fog as it is for its shimmering sunlight. Wooster Farm was often shrouded in blankets of gray mist. Days of rain frequently forced Benson to put aside his plein air studies and move indoors. That said, his North Haven interiors are rare-only five are known to exist. The earliest, 'Rainy Day' of 1906, depicts in front of the fireplace in the living room. A subdued pal­ette of blues and creams cre­ates a mood quite different from his outdoor works. Antiques and objets d’art were an important aspect of the family furnishings; small sketches, pewter candlesticks, and vases adorn the mantel­piece. Although the composition seems unstud­ied, it is cleverly arranged. Architectural elements offering strong horizontal and vertical lines are complemented by the curves of the mirror, the Canton jar, and Elisabeth’s figure curled up in the rattan chair. The dark, horizontal mass of the fireplace is echoed by the painting on the wall of the back parlor and offset by the tall, narrow doorway through which is glimpsed a rain-streaked window.*

To be continued

(Excerpts from "The Sporting Art of Frank W. Benson" by Faith Andrews Bedford and "A Rainy Day: Frank W. Benson's Maine Interiors" in "Antiques," July/August 2012.)