Schooled in the European academic tradition, Grant brought to his canvasses an intelligent and disciplined feeling for design, form, and color, all elements on display in Rockport. The view seen here captures the First Congregational Church (Old Sloop) and the mansard-roofed Haskins Building, constructed around 1862, which now houses the Rockport Music performance center. Composed with the artist’s characteristic brushwork, the painting reveals Grant’s fondness for depicting the town’s residents going about their lives, as a pair of fishermen make repairs to a dory, and a young boy passes the afternoon fishing off the dock. An undeniable tranquility and warmth radiates from the scene, exemplifying the atmosphere that drew the artist to Cape Ann for two decades. 
 

More information about this painting...

While Grant continued to work in a realistic manner throughout his life, he was not opposed to looking at modern art for inspiration. In 1957 he wrote, “[I] am not averse to many of the new things in art but look for the best that is in them and forward to the time when the two schools of painting will be more closely related. I feel that each individual should paint as the spirit moves him without any restrictions.”  The carefully placed blocks of color in Grant’s own work illustrate his openness to experimentation. This technique, when combined with his strong sense of composition, produced vivid oils and watercolors alike that capture the very essence of life in the towns that Grant visited. 

Provenance:

By descent through the artist’s family to private collection, San Diego, California