Near Newport - John Frederick Kensett

Friends of American Art Collection; Goodman Fund

"Near Newport" by John Frederick Kensett (1869) Oil on canvas.

Commentary

"Near Newport" by John Frederick Kensett (1869) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Its painted surface guides your eye through color, brushwork, and contrast rather than through n arrative alone. Themes to notice include painting. This piece is held in the source collection's Arts of the Americas collection. John Frederick Kensett is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: John Frederick Kensett American, 1816–1872. The work is cataloged within a Newport cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as painting, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Oil on canvas) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (29.5 × 62.4 cm (11 5/8 × 24 1/4 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include painting. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/109228

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data