Illuminating the Sea: The Marine Paintings of James E. Buttersworth, 1844-1894, a major retrospective exhibition highlighting the work of famed 19th-century marine artist James Edward Buttersworth opens March 22 at Mystic Seaport.
A ship portraitist who meticulously illustrated America's Golden Age of Sail, Buttersworth captured a realistic view of sea and sky while incorporating the human element into his work.
The exhibit will feature more than 25 paintings, some of which were part of a recent gift to the Museum. In 2006, Donald C. McGraw Jr., grandson of McGraw-Hill Inc.'s cofounder, bequeathed his private collection of 24 Buttersworth paintings to Mystic Seaport. This bequest complemented the Museum's 31 Buttersworth paintings, making it the largest single public collection of the artist's work.
"Our father wanted the Museum to have his paintings so they could be shared with and enjoyed by the public. Our family is delighted that this exhibit will feature so many of them," said Josh McGraw, one of McGraw's sons.
Paintings in the exhibition will span Buttersworth's entire career, beginning with his early British period works and ending with the 1893 America's Cup series, completed a year before his death.
Of particular prominence are two portraits of Mystic-built ships, "Race Off the Battery, Schooner Dauntless ex-L'Hirondelle" and "Clipper Ship David Crockett." Other featured paintings of interest are "Sloop Yacht Haswell" and "Yacht Kate Off Boston Light," illustrating ships built for Charles Henry Mallory, one of Connecticut's most prosperous ship owners and father of the Mallory building's namesake in which the exhibit will be held.
"If Buttersworth's treatment of the sea is grand, the sky has such subtlety it shows another aspect of his mastery of the milieu. Where many painters would settle upon a characteristic way to paint the water's surface, Buttersworth shows his versatility," said Andrew German, editor of the 2nd edition of J.E. Buttersworth: 19th- Century Marine Painter, which will be published by Mystic Seaport later this year. This revised edition, an update of the original 1975 publication, features the latest information about the historic vessels Buttersworth depicted in his paintings and explanations of aesthetic choices he made in portraying them.
Illuminating the Sea: The Marine Paintings of James E. Buttersworth, 1844-1894, will remain on display in the Mallory Exhibit Hall through April 2009. The exhibit is free with regular Museum admission. For more information about the Buttersworth exhibit, click here.