Martin J. Murray (American, 1908–1997) "Provincetown" Oil on Canvas C. 1940

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This Rhode Island artist Martin J. Murray (Rhode Island, 1908–1997), a Newport native known for working in oils and watercolors. … Read more This Rhode Island artist Martin J. Murray (Rhode Island, 1908–1997), a Newport native known for working in oils and watercolors. The composition is structured as a panoramic waterfront view, with a cluster of working boats and small craft gathered in the foreground and middle distance, their hulls and cabin forms loosely defined in confident strokes that emphasize mass and movement over line. The water is built from layered veils of turquoise, sea-green, and soft pearly whites, with broken reflections that flicker across the surface and dissolve into atmospheric passages near the shoreline. Along the horizon, a band of shore buildings—gable-roofed houses, sheds, and dockside structures—appears in a patchwork of muted mauves, warm ochres, pale creams, and dusty reds, suggesting sunlit facades and shadowed recesses through shifts in temperature and value. Above, the painting’s dominant feature is an expansive, luminous sky filled with rolling cumulus clouds, worked wet-into-wet in whites, cool grays, and faint peach highlights, creating depth and a sense of coastal weather moving in from the sea. The artist’s signature appears at the lower right, anchoring the scene within the reflective foreground. Murray’s training at the Rhode Island School of Design and the John Frazier School of Painting in Provincetown is evident in the painting’s balanced design, expressive brushwork, and heightened attention to light and atmosphere—qualities closely associated with New England coastal painting traditions.

Measurements: 24.5" h x 30.5" w x 1.5" d. See less