Greenland Coast 1931

Rockwell Kent made this painting of the Greenland Coast and, wow, the surface is so smooth! It’s funny because the subject is all jagged rocks and icy surfaces, but the way Kent has handled the paint is so calm. Look how he’s blended the colours, that gradient from a deep royal blue at the top to a pale yellow where the sky meets the land, it’s so subtle. It’s like a Rothko, but with rocks! The way he’s applied the paint makes the whole scene feel really still, like time is frozen. I’m reminded of another American painter, Edward Hopper, who was working around the same time. Both artists have a knack for capturing a kind of stark beauty, that feeling of being alone in a big, wide world. Ultimately, Kent's painting isn’t just a picture of a place, it’s a mood, an emotion, a way of seeing.