Rocks at Newport
ca. 1877-1885
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Louis Glaser
Accession Number
1983.95.96
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Rocks at Newport** Edward Mitchell Bannister, around 1877-1885, captures the rugged beauty of Newport coastal landscape. This oil painting depicts dramatic rocks, the crashing sea, distant mountains, and moody interplay of light and shadow along the shore. Bannister, a pioneering African American artist born in Canada in 1828, masterfully renders nature's raw power, drawing viewers into a serene yet dynamic scene that evokes the untamed New England coastline. Bannister was a leading figure in 19th-century American landscape painting, influenced by the Barbizon school’s emphasis on realistic...