Artwork Page for Lake Memphremagog

Details / Information for Lake Memphremagog

Lake Memphremagog

c. 1880s

Harry Fenn

(American, 1838/45–1911)
Culture
America
Medium
watercolor and gouache over graphite
Support
Modern laid paper, laid down on cream(1) wove paper
Measurements
Sheet: 34.3 x 47.4 cm (13 1/2 x 18 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin 1976.115
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

This watercolor reveals the technical virtuosity of Harry Fenn, an illustrator famed for his rich handling of detail and his bizarre sense of fantasy. As a young man, Fenn sketched widely in the United States for a lavish two-volume set titled Picturesque America. After 1881, he devoted himself to watercolor painting and illustrating. This watercolor represents Lake Memphremagog, which extends across the border of America and Canada, from North Vermont into South Quebec.
A horizontally oriented watercolor and gouache painting depicts a rocky, sloped shoreline on the left and a calm lake on the right. A fallen tree with tangled roots extends diagonally over the bank, its branches hanging above two small figures near the water. Muted browns and greens define the rugged landscape, while hazy hills appear on the horizon beneath a pale sky filled with gray and orange tones.

Lake Memphremagog

c. 1880s

Harry Fenn

(American, 1838/45–1911)
America

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