Gloucester Harbor c. 1910

Arthur Clifton Goodwin made "Gloucester Harbor" at an undetermined date, using oil paint on canvas. It is a tonalist painting, with dominant marks of light and dark that suggest the artist built up layers of muted colors, one over another. I feel a real kinship with Goodwin and the effort to capture an impression of the atmospheric harbor. The boats almost disappear into the thick light that coats the surface of everything. You can almost smell the salty air! The way the paint is applied, with delicate and wispy brushstrokes, brings the scene to life. The canvas is alive with movement and energy, like the constant lapping of waves. Painters like Goodwin, who are so dedicated to observation, are part of a long lineage of artists that includes Whistler and Homer. All of these painters demonstrate a profound love for the material of paint and the effects it can achieve. This is what makes looking at paintings so endlessly rewarding.