Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1859-1924)
Summer Hotel, Maine, ca. 1914-1915
Oil on panel
Williams College Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Charles Prendergast, 86.18.65
Maurice Prendergast often worked en plein air (outdoors, on site) to create sketches and preliminary works using watercolor or, as in the case of Summer Hotel, Maine, crayon on paper. While he created a relatively large sketch in this case, he often worked in pen, pencil, or watercolor using a sketchbook. One of the many sketchbooks he filled over his life is included in this exhibition.
He quickly collected his initial impressions of color and design before returning to his studio (sometimes weeks or months later) to paint a final version in oil. Can you detect some of the significant changes Maurice made between the sketch and the final work, Beach Scene, Maine, ca. 1910-1913.