Edward Mitchell Bannister
Time to continue our celebrations of Black History Month!
Edward Mitchell Bannister was a Canadian-American oil painter of the American Barbizon school. Born in Canada, he spent his adult life in New England in the United States. There, along with his wife Christiana Carteaux, he was a prominent member of African American cultural and political communities, such as the Boston abolition movement.
Bannister lived his entire life by the sea and probably made this painting while living in Boston in the late 1860s. Even though he never went overseas, he was inspired by French landscape art from the late 1800s. You can see this in his use of heavy brush strokes, calm colors, and straightforward designs. In this painting, showing a harbor under moonlight, he uses foggy colors and a desolate scene to make it feel mysterious, almost like he painted it in the middle of the night.
Such foggy landscapes always make me wonder. If you like to write down your thoughts, check out our Vienna Secession Undated Planner. :)
P.S. For many of us, night evokes a sense of mystery or even fear, while for others it symbolizes serenity and contemplation. Explore 10 beautiful nocturne paintings!