Monday, April 2, 2018

Pigeon Cove, Circa 1953


My parents rented a little house in Pigeon Cove, on Cape Ann in Massachusetts, for a summer or two.
From the old photos I have of myself and my brother playing in the yard, with boats at anchor behind us, I'd guess it was the summers of 1952 and 1953.  Dad must have loved walking out the door to find these wonderful scenes of granite seawalls, fishing boats and dinghies.

Dad was well known in the region for his bold watercolors that recorded yet abstracted the waterfront scenes of Cape Ann.   At the time, not many New England painters had adapted the lessons of Cubism, of John Marin and Andrew Dasburg, but Dad was always pushing forward into new styles and concepts.  This particular painting was done quickly, almost like a sketch, but fully captures the brilliant light and maritime character of the Cape.