George William Sotter (American, 1879–1953) Gloucester Harbor

Signed and dated 'George Sotter/1911' bottom right, oil on canvas
26 x 32 1/4 in. (66 x 82cm)

Provenance

J.J. Gillespie, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Private Collection, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Literature

Valerie Ann Leeds, George Sotter: Light and Shadow, James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, 2017, fig. 2, p. 22 (illustrated in black and white).

Note

Like many artists of his generation, George Sotter travelled to New England, notably Gloucester, to capture the picturesque environs and partake in the multiple art colonies established near the harbor. Although little is known of Sotter’s travels there, it is likely the destination was suggested by his friend Edward Redfield, who often stopped in the town on his way further up north to Maine. The artist's first Gloucester landscapes date from 1911, and while they depart radically from his earlier Pittsburgh scenes through the emergence of a bright, dazzling palette, they share the same vigor, solidity of form, and assured brushwork.

The present work belongs to the earliest marine scenes Sotter ever depicted. It offers a very modern glimpse of Gloucester’s marina, and instead of driving his attention to the shimmering water and clear sky–as every artist would be expected to do–Sotter instead focuses on the wooden pier, which occupies most of the composition, where the viewer can spot several workers and fishing gear. The view of the harbor itself is obstructed by the boats’ masts and nets, while the sky is completely truncated. Rather than a pure exercise of light and color, the work references the local, bustling fishing economy and hereby reveals the inherent beauty of the mundane everyday life in Gloucester. Sotter accentuates this cheerful feeling via large swaths of paint, and by using a wide selection of buoyant, saturated colors, ranging from vivid yellows, blues, and reds which all harmoniously contrast with the surrounding pearlescent water, and the earth-toned dock. The result is a sun-filled, uplifting mosaic of shimmering colors that marks a new era in Sotter’s career which will soon lead to the romantic nocturnes he is best known for today.