Provincetown, Cape Cod & the Islands Artists
In the beginning of the twentieth century, artists began to flock to Cape Cod inspired by its picturesque geography and the unique atmospheric quality of its light. Although they do not necessarily present a uniform style, the artists of Provincetown, Cape Cod and the surrounding islands are united by a love of the area’s unique visual charms and its artistic community.
Charles Hawthorne was one of the first artists to discover the area and he founded
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Provincetown, Cape Cod & the Islands Artists
In the beginning of the twentieth century, artists began to flock to Cape Cod inspired by its picturesque geography and the unique atmospheric quality of its light. Although they do not necessarily present a uniform style, the artists of Provincetown, Cape Cod and the surrounding islands are united by a love of the area’s unique visual charms and its artistic community.
Charles Hawthorne was one of the first artists to discover the area and he founded the Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown in 1899. In the tradition of European impressionism, he emphasized the importance of painting en plein air and encouraged his students to focus on capturing the essence of a subject’s color and form rather than laboring over details. In 1914, along with other prominent Cape Cod artists including William Halsall and E. Ambrose Webster, Hawthorne founded the Provincetown Art Association, which remains a vibrant resource for artists and art lovers today.
Because of its location, Cape Cod became a popular summer destination for New York based artists. In the 1920’s Edward Hopper began summering in South Truro, near Provincetown, ultimately building his own summerhouse there in 1934. Many of his best-known paintings, including “Cape Cod Morning” and “Cape Cod Evening,” were done there. In the 1950’s a number of the most well known abstract expressionists including Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell and Willem de Kooning acquired summer homes on the Cape.
Also in the 1950’s, husband and wife Ralph and Martha Cahoon began producing fanciful scenes of sailors and mermaids in a simplistic style influenced by their background in Pennsylvania Dutch furniture design. These became hugely successful as the style is very accessible and the works appealed to the Cape’s many wealthy summer residents. (hide)
Examples of Provincetown, Cape Cod & the Islands Artists at Auction
Artists Associated with Provincetown, Cape Cod & the Islands Artists — 37 artists:
