The Waterfront
1922 · Watercolour on paper · RISD Museum, Providence
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About this work
- Artist
- Frank W. Benson (1862–1951)
- Year
- 1922
- Medium
- Watercolour on paper
- Original size
- 35.6 × 50.8 cm
- Collection
- RISD Museum, Providence
- Movement
- American Impressionism
Sailboats and small boats lie moored off a stone landing in bright turquoise water, with an island on the horizon and the rigging of a larger boat cutting across the foreground. Benson took up watercolour seriously in the early 1920s and painted harbours and rivers in quick, wet washes that leave the white paper to stand for sunlight on water. This sheet, signed and dated 1922, was bought by the Rhode Island School of Design Museum the same year.
This full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A fresh, airy harbour scene in turquoise, blue and white for a bathroom, coastal-style living room or hallway in a thin black frame. It pairs well with Homer's Bahamas watercolours and suits a white or pale sand-coloured wall.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- American Impressionism painting
- Era
- 20th century (1922)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- dramatic, moody
- Rooms
- living room, bathroom, hallway or entryway, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. Prints at 18×12, 24×16 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or dark wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Waterfront in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Waterfront painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
