Small Parlor Coastal Scene

When this coastal scene was painted in 1887, the artist Charles Woodbury (1864-1940) had recently graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. He was already the youngest member of the Boston Art Club, had taken classes in life drawing, and taught classes in sketching. Within a year of graduating, Woodbury abandoned thoughts of a career as a mechanical engineer and set up a studio in Boston. In these early years he painted along the coast from New England to Nova Scotia. With its thick application of paint and rich colors, this example is typical of Woodbury’s work. In the following decades Woodbury continued to paint, became a highly sought after teacher, and eventually helped establish a flourishing art colony in Ogunquit, Maine.